1899 De Dion Bouton 2¼hp Single-Cylinder Quadricycle

• Present ownership for 25 years
• Well known in VCC circles
• ex-Brian Moore and Austin Parkinson
• Two-speed gearbox fitted
• Ideal for 'Tuf-Tuf' and 'Creepy Crawly' events

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 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, and the first internal combustion-engined tricycles were built in 1895. The 250cc engine of 1896 developed approximately 1¾hp 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.

Purchased from Mike Timms of Uckfield, this early De Dion Bouton quadricycle has been in the current vendors' private collection for 25 years and is very well known in Veteran Car Club circles, having been owned previously by VCC luminaries Brian Moore (who sold it to Mike Timms), Austin Parkinson and Paul Tillion. There are photographs on file of the quad in action, some believed taken on the London-Brighton Run. Various MoT certificates from the early to mid-1990s from garages in Cambridge, together with photographs of the De Dion with a Hildersham Hall stamp on the reverse, confirm this provenance. It is also clear that Austin Parkinson owned and actively rallied the quad in the late 1970s and 1980s. This is supported by other MoT certificates from garages in Austin's locality (nine in total); a 1981 Science Museum Certificate addressed to him; a 1982 Pioneer Certificate addressed to him; and a 1984 VCC Dating Certificate.

Described by our vendor as in very good condition throughout, the car is offered with a VCC Dating Certificate and V5C document. The sensible fitting of a two-speed gearbox is the only notified deviation from factory specification.