PreWarCar.com presents two unusual French veterans at Salon Rétromobile

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Following yesterday's piece about the unique Benz which we'll be displaying on our stand at Salon Rétromobile, we are pleased to reveal details of two additional and rather special veterans which we will not only be displaying, but also offering for sale.

Adolphe Clément's first four-wheeler

The oldest of the two cars is not strictly a car, but a Clément 2¼hp quadricycle from 1899. Like many of Britain's earliest motor-car makers, Adolphe Clément had made his fortune as a maker of bicycles and pneumatic tyres, so horseless carriages were a natural progression. Following Clément et Cie's acquisition of the Gladiator Cycle Company, the company was in a position to begin constructing motorised vehicles.

The first of these were tricycles and quadricycles, production commencing in 1899 with engines and other components supplied by De Dion-Bouton. The quadricycle arose from increased demand for passenger-carrying ability, and was particularly interesting as it was created by devising a removable independent framework which could be fixed to the tricycle frame in lieu of the single front wheel, thereby creating a vehicle with four wheels and a front seat.

This survivor from the first year of production is in beautiful condition, having been restored in 2004 and only ever driven 'around the block' by its restorer. Sadly, he passed away five years ago, and the Clément is in need of a new owner who can stretch its legs and maybe even take it to Brighton.

An oily rag vis-à-vis by Decauville

The other car is a 1900 Decauville Voiturelle, from the collection of a well-known enthusiast. Decauville was an established maker of locomotives for many years before it turned to the manufacture of motor-cars in 1898, and the Corbeil marque's first offering was a four-wheeled, three-seater vis-à-vis. To modern eyes, it appears as a voiturette, but at the time that term had been appropriated by Léon Bollée for its three-wheeled forecar, so Decauville marketed it as the Voiturelle.

Originally powered by an air-cooled vertical twin of 3½hp with two forward speeds, where the Voiturelle was truly pioneering was in its use of independent front suspension - the first known on a production petrol car, with a transverse spring and sliding pillars, but no rear springs. In 1899, the Voiturelle was much improved, gaining a 5hp water-cooled engine and a third gear.

The 5hp car we're exhibiting was originally retained by the Société Decauville, but by 2006 it had wound up in a British collection, which left it untouched and sold it again in 2009 to the present owner, who is both a preservationist and a keen user of his cars. The Decauville was given a full mechanical restoration by two respected specialists to get it on the road again, but cosmetically it was not touched, so it still appears wonderfully original.

Since the completion of the restoration, the car has been dated as a 1900 model by the Veteran Car Club and has successfully completed the Brighton Run. Hopefully, it will head back to Brighton on many more occasions with its new owner.

Worth a look, don't you think? Come and see the Clément and Decauville on display in their homeland until 5th February at Salon Rétromobile, held in Paris's Expo Porte de Versailles. Visit the PreWarCar.com stand (Hall One, stand P072) and not only will you'll find three delightful veterans, you'll also be guaranteed a very warm reception.

Words: Zack Stiling
 

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