1902 De Dion Bouton Vis-A-Vis
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Registration No. AA1352
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Car No. 1661
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Engine No. 8418
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VCC Dating Certificate No. 37
£70,000 GBP
The first four wheeled vehicles produced by De Dion Bouton were named ‘Petite Voitures’, however later adopted the name Voiturettes. Launched in 1899 the first of these voiturettes consisted of a 3.5HP rear engined vehicle titled the Type D.
Fast forward to 1902 and De Dion were beginning to roll out 6HP power units that were fitted into front engined cars, however they also put these into the Voiturette or Vis-a-Vis in the shape of the Type L. With a larger Cylinder, Bore and stroke, aswell as a bigger crankcase the Type L 6HP (which is displayed here) was the final edition of the De Dion Bouton Vis-a-Vis and offered superior performance when compared to its predecessors.
The example offered here today, presents an excellent opportunity for a new custodian to purchase the most powerful engined of the De Dion Vis-a-Vis models. Looking back at the history of AA1352, we can see that the car was dated by the Veteran Car Club very early on, with Dating Certificate No.37.
AA1352’s ownership history can be traced back to the 1930’s, when it was first entered into the London to Brighton Run in 1935 by a Mr JE Alcock. Further research shows that Mr Alcock was a colonel. The car was entered into every London to Brighton Run from 1935 to 1957 by Mr JE Alcock, quite remarkable in these early years. The car was next entered in 1958 by Alcocks son, captain JVP Alcock who ran the car in 59,60,61,62,63 and 1964. After this, the car was completely absent from all records until it appeared at an estate auction in County Kerry, Ireland in 1999 where the current owner purchased the car.
In its current ownership, AA1352 has been recommissioned and images of the complete disassembly of the engine can be viewed by interested parties. The car still possesses its original Longuemare style carburettor and starts well.
This car would be ideal for someone that wants to dig deeper into the history of a car that was owned by ‘people of interest’ and that was a regular performer on the London to Brighton Run in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
As with all cars of 120 years old, some recommissioning is likely to be required but the car can be started and inspected by any interested party.
