HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — An 1884 French-built steam runabout,
billed as the world’s oldest running family car, has sold in Hershey for
$4.62 million — about double the amount auctioneers expected.
The
de Deon Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos Steam Runabout sold Friday at
the annual RM Auctions Inc. sale to an undisclosed buyer, said Tyler
Castle, the Blenheim, Ontario-based company’s client services
coordinator.
The auctioneer said there are older running vehicles,
and some older cars that possibly could be made to run again, but "La
Marquise," as it’s known, is one of the world’s most important
collectible cars.
Pre-auction estimates had put the value at $2 million to $2.5 million.
Alain
Squindo, a specialist in cars at RM Auctions, told The Patriot-News of
Harrisburg that while La Marquise could be driven, it is not as simple
as turning a key.
"This is pretty remarkable," he told the
newspaper before the auction. "It predates the Benz three-wheeler, which
everyone considers to be the start of the automobile."
It seats
four, has a top speed of 38 mph and requires about 45 minutes to get
pressure in the boilers sufficient to operate. A brass plate documents
mandatory boiler inspections in 1889, 1894 and 1899.
The
auctioneer’s description said it was built after a French count was
impressed by a model steam engine in a Paris toy store, and hired the
manufacturers to create a full-model version attached to a carriage.
The auction winner is the fifth owner for the vehicle, which was owned by a single family for 81 years.

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