Vintage car identification required

[Rees2000]

Can anyone identify this vehicle. South Wales c. 1910

[tapkaJohnD]

From the fluted edges to the front ?engine? compartment, is it a Renault?

[nicanary]

No number plate so pre-1904.

[anyoldcardave]

Certainly looks Renault from the front, could have washed it lol.

[nicanary]

For some reason (no evidence) I feel it's electric. There were a lot about at the time, mainly American. Columbia?

[Mabbs9]

nicanary said:

For some reason (no evidence) I feel it's electric. There were a lot about at the time, mainly American. Columbia?

It does look to have cooling fins along the pipework up front?

[Riley Blue]

Mabbs9 said:

nicanary said:

For some reason (no evidence) I feel it's electric. There were a lot about at the time, mainly American. Columbia?

It does look to have cooling fins along the pipework up front?

There's what looks like an exhaust pipe ahead of the rear wheel.

[nicanary]

You're all correct. I've enlarged the photo and there's a gill radiator beneath the front axle and a diff at the back. The emblem on the front of the bonnet cannot be read but seems to consist of a wheel with spokes and a name underneath.

[dbdb]

Is it a de Dion Bouton? - Is this the emblem on the front?



Registration plates were introduced in 1904 so I agree the photo is likely to be before that.

[nicanary]

dbdb said:

Is it a de Dion Bouton? - Is this the emblem on the front?



Registration plates were introduced in 1904 so I agree the photo is likely to be before that.

That's it! That's definitely the badge. So there we are - PH does it again.

[nicanary]

This is a snip of the photo.

[tapkaJohnD]

Bingo! Surely?

[dbdb]

It looks to be a De Dion-Bouton Vis-à-vis made between 1898 and 1902. They didn't all use the vis-à-vis seating layout, though the great majority did.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Dion-Bouton_Vis-%...

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:De_Dio...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3-t7lKXHPU

What a wonderful old thing.

They're quite quick!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqPfLyVtv-g

There are still quite a few about:

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16254/lot/302/
https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/22705/lot/340/190...

[Willhire89]

It is a late 1901 De Dion Bouton voiturette tonneau - only bodied and sold in the UK

[Rees2000]

nicanary said:

No number plate so pre-1904.

I didn't know that!

[Rees2000]

What an incredible forum! Thanks everyone. I will try and identify the likely drivers and give some summaries back to the forum after the 12 August.

[Dapster]

Roald Dahl's family owned a De Dion Bouton when they lived in South Wales in the 1930s. Can't have been that many around South Wales then!

[tapkaJohnD]

In my youth, a girlfriend's dad had a DeDion Bouton Type V, which we supported when he entered the London to Brighton run. Only he was allowed to drive it! I didn't marry her!

John

[rlw]

Besides anything else, it's a high quality photo made with a high quality lens and camera. Enlarged, the detail is quite remarkable. It also illustrates depth of field rather well, too, with the front couple being out of focus. Very interesting.

[Riley Blue]

rlw said:

Besides anything else, it's a high quality photo made with a high quality lens and camera. Enlarged, the detail is quite remarkable. It also illustrates depth of field rather well, too, with the front couple being out of focus. Very interesting.

As if the photographer focussed on the welcome party and then the car arrived.