Tag Archives: De Dion Bouton

Style De Hot Rod – De Dion Bouton Curtiss

Parisian engineers Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux were scraping a living making toy steam trains when they managed to convince wealthy patron the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion to join them in founding a company to build steam powered automobiles in 1881.

de Dion Bouton Curtiss

After a false start with a front wheel drive rear wheel steered steam car their second more conventional effort with front wheel steer and rear wheel drive known as the Marquis de Dion was the only entrant, competitor and finisher in the worlds first organised competition for motor vehicles in 1887.

By 1900 De Dion had started making petrol powered motor vehicles and with over 400 units made per year the company was the largest vehicle manufacturer in the world.

By 1912 De Dion had not peaked in terms of numbers of vehicles built and was building the first range of mass produced V8 motors from 3.5 litres 215 cui to 14.7 litres / 897 cui.

I believe Leslie Murray’s De Dion Bouton, described as “A bit hot rod style” by one fan, seen in this photograph was built in 1912 at least some five years before the 8.2 litre / 502 cui Curtiss OX V8 that powers it.

Thanks for joining me on this “Style De Hot Rod” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you’ll join me tomorrow for a military parade at Queen Square, Bristol. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Sherborne Details – Classics At The Castle

Last weeks Classics at the Castle threw up plenty of details and here is a small selection I managed to capture.

De Dion Bouton 10hp, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

It looks like this De Dion Bouton has been around for sometime it was offered for auction around 8 years ago it is thought to be a 10hp model from 1910, suitable for a DIY enthusiast with an aptitude for woodwork, as the saying goes.

Aston Martin DB4, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Looking pretty in light blue was this 1958 Aston Martin DB4 powered by a 6 cylinder 3670 cc / 223 cui motor designed by Tadek Marek.

Porsche 911R R, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

The most obvious give away that this Porsche 911R was a replica of the car Gérard Larrousse & Maurice Gélin won the 1969 Tour de France with was that it is a right hand drive model, apart from that it was convincing in many details including the lightened filler cap.

Sunbeam 16/20 Cabriolet, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Cool brass fittings for cockpit ventilation circa 1914 on a Sunbeam 16/20 Cabriolet.

Mazda MX5 BBR, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Not sure how distracting speakers built in to the headrest of a 1991 Le Mans Special edition Mazda MX5 BBR Turbo would be, but they were dropped from later models.

Lamborghini Aventador, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

With a zero to 100 km/h time of just 2.9 seconds tail lights are all one is likely to see of a 2012 Lamborghini Aventor.

Thanks for joining me on this “Sherborne Details” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow for some Chrome, Stripes and a Sheriffs Car. Don’t forget to come back now !

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