1903 De Dion Bouton 6hp Two-seater

• Single family ownership since the 1980s
• Largely original condition
• Regularly maintained
• Regular London to Brighton Veteran Car Run entrant since 2001
• Ready for the next London-to-Brighton Run

The names of De Dion and Bouton are inextricably linked with the pioneer years of the motor car, initially in company with Trépardoux in the building of light steam carriages, the first of which appeared in 1883. In the early 1890s De Dion and Bouton turned their attention to the internal combustion engine, much to the annoyance of Trépardoux who quit in 1894, leaving his erstwhile partners to develop what was, in effect, the first high-speed internal combustion engine.

Engineer Georges Bouton's power units developed significantly greater output than their contemporaries from Daimler and Benz, yet matched them for reliability. Small wonder then that De Dion Bouton engines were adopted by many other manufacturers of tricycles, quadricycles, and light cars, both in Europe and the United States, influenced no doubt by the success of the flying tricycles in such events as the Paris-Bordeaux and other endurance races. Early 137cc engines ran at speeds of up to 1,500rpm, while the 250cc engine of 1896 developed approximately 1¾ horsepower and made the contemporary Benz engines seem positively antiquated.

Early De Dions were rear-engined and of the vis-à-vis type – where the passengers sat facing the driver – but from 1902 onwards the firm began to adopt what would become accepted as the conventional layout for a motor car. By this time, De Dion's fast-revving, single-cylinder engines were offered in 4½hp, 6hp, and 8hp variants. All featured mechanical inlet and atmospheric exhaust valves, and were noted for their reliability, which is borne out by the number surviving today.

This single-cylinder 6hp De Dion Bouton two-seater has been in the same family ownership since the late 1980s. It has swept doors, which are a rare sight on a De Dion. Aesthetically, the car has been intentionally left in very much original condition. Mechanically we are told, it has been regularly maintained, is in working order and ready for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on which it has been a regular entrant since 2001.

Works carried out over the years include: a gearbox overhaul; new rear brakes; new trembler coil and ignition system overhaul; petrol tank and fuel system reconditioned; new tyres; and new front wings.