Thursday 12th July 2007

World's Oldest Car Worth a Million

'La Marquise' set to make a mint

---

The world’s oldest car is going to auction and is expected to fetch a cool £1million.

The old bird herself, La Marquise

La Marquise, built by French manufacturers 'De Dion, Bouton et Trepardoux' in 1884, is a steam powered four seater that pre-dates the Daimler and Benz gas powered prototypes by just one year.

It won the world’s first motor race - from Paris to Neuilly and back (19 miles) - in 1887 using its devastating 38mph top speed.

After doing a bit of maths here at the office, we worked out that (if you stumped up the cash) you’ll be paying £26,316 for each mph you get out of it or £8,130 for every year it’s existed. You never know, it might be worth double that in another 123 years time...

[G-Rich]

Now all it needs is a body kit, alloy wheels and nitrous...

[Garlick]

It also needs a PH sticker too.

I just don't get old cars really, apologies to those that do. As much as I admire it's history, my (imaginary) £1 million would not be buying this i'm afraid.


But, maybe if it did have that bodykit and Nos......

ETA- by old cars I mean vintage, I love cars that look like cars but when they look like bicycles they leave me a bit cold.

Edited by Garlick on Thursday 12th July 12:27

[A1GOY]

Go on Garlick! It's steam powered AND it's exempt from road tax AND it'll only grow in value.

Edited by A1GOY on Thursday 12th July 14:22

[MartinMGBGTSV8]

Although I own two MGs and a Triumph I also can't see why this is worth a mil.
However,

Helfire!!! 38 Mph! In those days it must have been terrifying. I thought it would only do about 20. Hats off to the first driver who Vmaxed it when nobody had ever been that fast on the road.

[peteA]

You never know, it might be worth double that in another 123 years time...

Its steam powered....at least you will be able to drive in 123 years time when the oil has all gone!

[haggle]

i bet red ken would still c charge it for using coal to power the boiler

[MK4 Slowride]

I love Vintage cars but a million quid struth, if i had the cash maybe but I'd be in the Lambourghini showroom instead of Barrett & jackson auctioneers. Still it's quite humbling to see it hasn't been left to rot away like a lot of the cars did in the great depression.
Back then they thought that if you travelled too fast you wouldn't be able to breathe. I suppose the man with the red flag doesn't come with the car, bet he's retired now.

[Al 450]

Looks better than the new Impreza....

[sneijder]

Still trying to work out which way round you're meant to point the thing.

[Huw Pugh]

Al 450 said:

Looks better than the new Impreza....

[TonyHetherington]

I know what you're saying chaps, about it leaving you feeling cold. And from a car perspective I totally agree. But I don't like things like this purely from the car perspective; more so from their relevance and importance to history (if you see what I mean).

For example, the first plane didn't look "all that" but it's importance to the modern world was huge, and therefore it too would be worth $...!

[gib6933]

It worth a million pounds because it is the FIRST car ever made!
If no one had ever made the first car then we would on Horse Heads of something similar talking about horses, donkeys and trains.
(and probably being charged for our animals methane emissions)

[Garlick]

TonyHetherington said:

I know what you're saying chaps, about it leaving you feeling cold. And from a car perspective I totally agree. But I don't like things like this purely from the car perspective; more so from their relevance and importance to history (if you see what I mean).

For example, the first plane didn't look "all that" but it's importance to the modern world was huge, and therefore it too would be worth $...!

Is that why you like older women, old escorts (I mean Focus, sorry) and older fashions mate? It's all about their importance to the modern world

[TonyHetherington]

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

[Steameh]

I wonder if it's RWD, with tyres that thin you should be able to get the back end out pretty easily...

[A1GOY]

Yeah, but if you did get the rear end out the wheels would probably snap off.

[tomTVR]

gib6933 said:

It worth a million pounds because it is the FIRST car ever made!

Exactly, the sum of its parts will be worth very little. Its the oldest car and there wont be an older one, when you oook at the impact the car has had on the recent history of mankind £1m seems a bit of a baragin - especially when you look at what some people pay for other antiques and paintings etc.

[Ravell]

Wasn't Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot's steam driven machine technically the first car?

[IanF]

No

[fatboy111]

I thought this was the long awaited 200 series replacement Rover had been working on before the company collapse...