"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 both in Europe and the United States. 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. Early De Dions were rear engined and of the vis-à-vis type – where the passengers sat facing the driver but from 1902 onwards a more conventional layout for a motor car was adopted, one of the first of this kind being the Type O. By this time, De Dion's fast-revving, single-cylinder engines were offered in 4 1/2hp, 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.
The De Dion offered here although registered on the V5 as a 1906 at present is verified by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain as a 1908 example of the 8hp with desirable rear entrance door which, when new, we believe cost £208. With right hand drive and wheel steering, it represented De Dion-Bouton's latest thinking at the time of its introduction, embodying important developments in design, construction and coachwork in advance of the firm's earlier quadricycles. Presented in green coachwork with beige trim, this example was purchased by our vendor from the ex De Dion-Bouton Club Chairman and the history file includes details of both operating instructions and the model line ups from the era and the full report from the Veteran Car Club. Offered in very good order with a recently rebuilt engine this car has also known modifications including Zenith Carburettor and electric starter. A wonderful example of an iconic turn of the century vintage motorcar with the engine to which De Dion-Bouton made an inestimable contribution to the early development of the automobile.
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