1898 De Dion Bouton 1¾hp Tricycle

Footnotes

As early as 1882 Comte Albert De Dion with Trépardoux and Bouton built their first steam carriage at a time of rapid development of powered road transport and in a decade when it was by no means clear whether steam, electricity or the internal combustion engine would gain the upper hand. To the absolute dismay of Trépardoux, De Dion and Bouton favoured the internal combustion engine, developing the World's first successful high revving engines which were initially fitted to tricycles and quadricycles and achieved considerable successes in the new-fangled 19th Century motor sport. Cycle racing was a hugely popular sport in the last two decades of the 19th Century and racing motorised tricycles was a logical progression. The great sporting motorist Charles Jarrott wrote, 'I obtained the greatest pleasure from cycle racing .... then I came within the sphere of motors, and the whole scene changed. The atmosphere of speed enveloped me, and the fascination of motor racing laid hold of me, and on the first possible opportunity I took part in a motor race.' Jarrott raced De Dion tricycles alongside the likes of S. F. Edge and H. O. Duncan, taking part in classic events such as the Paris-Bordeaux – just one of the great City-to-City races. Prospective buyers of this machine should take Jarrott's classic work, Ten Years of Motors and Motor Racing 1896–1906, as their essential reading.

The last decade or so has seen a remarkable revival of this Jarrott era, encouraged by the De Dion Bouton Club UK and its leading lights, there have once again been racing events for tricycles, more than 20 examples being amassed for the 120th anniversary event at Brooklands, and other similar events before and since. More recently further limelight for these early vehicles came at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Tour, a 1900 example being ridden the full 65 miles of the Monterey Peninsula tour.

The example offered here arrived in the UK in the early 2000s from France. Initial restoration was started before the project was purchased by the current owner who completed the work both with close attention to detail and the intention of having a reliable machine that could be used in a wide range of road and track events. Over the years it has participated in many UK events, including the Pioneer Run and those track events organised by the De Dion Bouton Club. Over time it has been refined with several upgrades including a fuel tank for longer distance touring, a difficult to find De Dion Bouton spray carburettor, and the addition of a two-speed Bozier type gearbox for ease of starting and more relaxed travel. Recent work carried out on the tricycle from 2016 was entrusted to respected restorers NP Veteran Engineering, for which bills are on file.

Following restoration, the tricycle was examined by the Dating Committee of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain and was awarded a full dating certificate for 1898. As offered here today, it is both a very well sorted example, but also an excellent representation of this fascinating chapter of the early motorcar development and motorsport.

This Lot is available to view at 101 New Bond Street from Friday 28th October to Friday 4th November during normal business hours