1903 De Dion Bouton 8hp Rear Entrance Tonneau

Lot details
Registration No: T.B.A.
Chassis No: 840
Mot Expiry: Oct 2005

Keen to mobilise the masses by funding the manufacture of simple, reliable yet inexpensive road-going machinery, Count Albert de Dion entered into partnership with engineers Georges Bouton and Charles Trepardoux in 1882. Swayed by Trepardoux's enthusiasm and aptitude, the trio initially focused on steam as the motive power for their vehicles. However, following his visits to the stands of both Daimler and Benz during the 1889 Paris World Fair, the Count became increasingly convinced that the company's future lay with the newfangled internal combustion engine. Tensions were heightened further when Bouton - despite being brother-in-law to Trepardoux - began to experiment with petrol power. Outvoted and outmoded, Trepardoux left the enterprise in 1894 but not before he had created an innovative rear axle system that survives to this day (more commonly / ironically known as the de Dion tube, it employed a 'dead' beam to carry the rear wheels with drive coming from universally jointed half-shafts). Appearing a year later in the guise of a single-cylinder tricycle, the first petrol-powered De Dion Bouton was a technological marvel. With an engine that was significantly lighter, higher revving and more powerful than its rivals (thanks to an aluminium crankcase and sophisticated coil ignition system), it quickly attracted the attention of Renault and Delage who both placed bulk orders for the wonder powerplant. Rear-mounted in a tubular / ladder frame chassis and mated to an ingenious transmission in which each gear had its own dedicated expanding clutch to facilitate smooth changes, it powered the initial De Dion Bouton four-wheeler of 1899. A well resolved design that soon adopted all round leaf-sprung suspension, it proved both light and easy to drive. By the time the 8hp arrived in 1902, De Dion Boutons were being sold as far afield as Australia and America. The most powerful model the marque had yet produced, the newcomer was also notable for carrying its engine upfront.
Finished in maroon with black hide upholstery, this particular example sports four-seater rear entrance tonneau coachwork. Reputedly once the property of famous French actress Brigitte Bardot, it is immortalised in the book 'Sixty Miles of Pencil: An Intimate Impression of the London-Brighton Run' by Reynolds & Clark (Gentry, 1971). Registered with the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain under dating certificate number 1024 (and as car number 487), it has been a frequent participant in the RAC's annual London-Brighton run. Entered for this year's event, this well-known car is offered for sale with history file and MOT certificate valid until October 2005.