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With the Piston-Powered Auto-Rama just around the corner, we are looking forward to seeing all of the cool cars, motorcycles, and aircrafts the area has to offer! So, we decided to look back at the world’s oldest running vehicle. It is definitely the oldest and it might win for the longest name too:
The 1884 de Dion Bouton Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos Steam Runabout.
Say that ten times fast! The de Dion was the second prototype automobile built by Count de Dion for the world’s first automobile race in 1887. The car is 9 feet in length and features two compound steam engines. It has four seats “dos-a-dos” or “back-to-back” which are located on top of a 40 gallon steel water tank. It takes 45 minutes for the coal-fed boiler to create steam and the vehicle requires additional water every 20 miles.
In 2011, the de Dion was sold at auction to an anonymous bidder for $4.6 million. For more information, check out this video!