1900 De Dion-Bouton Tricycle

Frame no. 157
Engine no. 15568

· Early transitional three-wheeler motor vehicle
· Understood to have spent much of its life in Sweden
· Sympathetic restoration
· An ideal museum exhibit to chart the evolution of the automobile

Previewing in Los Angeles, California by Appointment.
Please contact [email protected] for scheduling.


DE DION BOUTON – THE EARLY YEARS

The earliest vehicles to carry the name De Dion appeared in 1883 and were steam-powered, Count De Dion and Georges Bouton being in partnership with steam engineer Trépardoux at that time. De Dion and Bouton turned their attention to the internal combustion engine to the annoyance of Trépardoux who quit in 1893, leaving his erstwhile partners to develop what was, in effect, the first high-speed internal combustion engine. Early 137cc engines ran at speeds of up to 1,500rpm, and the first internal combustion-engined tricycles were built in 1895. The 250cc engine of 1896 developed approximately 1.75hp and made the contemporary Benz engines seem positively antiquated. De Dion Bouton, as well as producing their own machines, found a ready market with other manufacturers who eagerly bought their engines, influenced no doubt by the success of the flying tricycles in such events as the Paris-Bordeaux and other endurance races.

De Dion Bouton progressively developed their engines, as the size and horsepower grew, so indeed did the heat they gave off and latterly the cylinder heads moved from simple air-cooled venting blades to water-cooled versions. As the company grew, a burgeoning industry of tricycles developed numbering more than 60 different manufacturers before the majority transitioned like De Dion into full time motorcar manufacturing.

THE TRICYCLE OFFERED

This De Dion Bouton is reported by its owner to have been imported in recent times from Sweden, where it is understood to have spent its life. Its prior owner was an engineer and early car enthusiast S. Olovsson, with whom the tricycle is listed in Veteran Car Club Members handbooks going back to at least 2000. Mr. Olovsson was responsible for the tricycle's restoration.

To judge from its condition today, the refurbishment appears to have been a sympathetic rebuild of a well worn but real basis, the frame and control bars still showing some evidence of the pitting/corrosion which it would have accumulated over its lifetime. Such detail on these machines may be considered reassuring as signs of authenticity, since the simplicity of these vehicles is a formula which have proved popular for replication over the years. The growing following for them in the last 3 decades has also spawned a number of suppliers of replacement parts, which can be used to keep them on the road and in use and it is therefore not uncommon to find newer ancillaries replacing items which would have been lost or worn over time, such as the battery/ignition and fuel tanks as appears to be the case here and of course consumables such as wheels/spokes. One unusual item on this De Dion are the front forks which have a non-standard format of three joining blades as opposed to a normal casting mounting.

In any regard, a De Dion Trike such as this is a far rarer find in America where they are few and far between. Across the pond, they are frequently used on motorcycle and early motorcar events, most prominently the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run and Pioneer Run. (It should be noted that while this machine has all the hallmarks of a correct De Dion Bouton, such events do require acceptance/inspection and official dating to enable their use on them.)

Another avenue of use has been that the enterprising De Dion Bouton Club UK have revived the racing of these three wheelers creating a number of retrospective competitive events for them, in the mode that they did at the turn of the 19th/20th Century, often in period dress. Buy this and encourage some friends to find others and perhaps the concept could take off here also!