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1901 De Dion Bouton Type E Vis-a-Vis Voiturette

Story and History

1900 De Dion Bouton Type 'E' Vis-a-Vis Voiturette - Concours condition *** UNDER OFFER ***

The oldest motorcar we have ever had the pleasure of offering for sale and driving as well

This little thing pops along with ease and is one of the best we have seen

She starts on the button (or as in 1900 'on the handle') everything works very nicely with effective brakes and a very smooth gear change

Technically this is a benchmark example of the second derivative of the vis-à-vis De Dion Bouton, the Type 'E'

Powered by a 3½ horsepower engine, the basic original had already been enhanced with improved brakes by the addition of contracting bands on both rear wheels controlled from the central steering column, as part of this device the gear selection now came by a lever, rather than a wheel, which could be set down when the car was out of gear to act as a handbrake

The car has had a few illustrious owners and at one time in the recent past was owned by a founder member of the De Dion Bouton Club in the UK

Previously she had been kept in Continental Europe and also enjoyed a period in the USA

This pretty little De Dion has the appearance of having been sympathetically restored from what it appears must have been a sound and original basis - the restoration was carried out well and completed by a well known team in Holland

Aesthetically, the car is complete in all major details and benefits from a number of particularly attractive attributes, such as decorative side lamps and a centrally mounted 'head' lamp by Herm. Reimanns

Numerically, the car's engine and gearbox numbers are consistent with the overall specification and it is these that have no doubt allowed the car to receive an attributed date of 1900 by the Veteran Car Club Dating Committee

To those in the know, a 1900 date is particularly advantageous on the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run as it equates to an early start, normally within the first 100 of the 500 or so, cars that are privileged to run each year

In fact in 2014 her start number was actually 047

The 2018 Run was no exception where she ran perfectly, finishing on Maderia Drive parked alongside Genevieve, no less

In addition to qualifying for the London to Brighton, there are a number of Veteran Car Club events for which it would be eminently suitable as well as those of the British De Dion Bouton Club and the local club Teuf Teuf in France

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Specifications

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Previously Sold
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