“Sold new and bodied in the United Kingdom, in incredible original condition…”
The company ‘Trépardoux et Cie, engineers and manufacturers’ was founded in 1883 by Jules-Albert de Dion (‘the Marquis de Dion’) from Nantes, the Parisian manufacturer of scientific toys, Georges Bouton, and his brother-in-law, Charles-Armand Trépardoux.
In 1895, the De Dion-Bouton trademark was registered, and the brand quickly flourished with its single-cylinder four-stroke engine, the first ‘high-speed’ engine in history (1,500 rpm) and the most widespread in the early days of the automobile.
The twin-cylinder engine appeared in 1903, and in 1907 the Type AV and AZ models were introduced, featuring a 10 CV twin-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1,206 cm³, a bore of 80 mm and a stroke of 120 mm. The vehicles were fitted with a three-speed gearbox.
The elegant Victoria-style bodywork adorning the AV featured in these pages was produced by Westfield Autocar Co. Ltd., named after the famous Scottish car distributor, which was founded in 1904 in Edinburgh.
This De Dion-Bouton appears to be in its original condition, right down to its corduroy interior, its soft top, its Milmélior ignition switch, its oil pressure gauge, its centralised grease pump, and its English-made fittings (notably the brass fittings from Lucas and P & H), as well as its dashboard plaque, which confirms that the AV chassis #243 was sold new in the United Kingdom. It crossed the Channel around 2010 and arrived in France shortly afterwards. Having seen little use since then, it will require a routine service before offering its future owner the unrivalled driving experience of a classic car…