Thursday, July 12, 2007
The World’s Oldest Car
The world’s oldest working car is set to go under the hammer - and it’s expected to fetch up to $ 2 million. The steam-powered, four-seater motor was originally made by the French manufacturers De Dion, Bouton et Trépardoux in 1884.
Built in France, it came out a year before Germans Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz built their first experimental gas-powered cars. And according to auctioneers Gooding and Company, the four-wheeled car, which was nicknamed ‘La Marquise’, has had only three owners since.
It takes about half an hour to build up enough steam to drive - but once running, its top speed is a whopping 38 miles per hour.
Gooding and Company founder David Gooding said: “Out of all the remarkable automobiles I’ve had the pleasure to consign, the De Dion Bouton is one of the most historically important automobiles to come to auction in a very long time.” The company estimates the car’s value at between 800,000 and
It will be auctioned on August 19 in Pebble Beach, California, USA.