1901 Darracq 8hp Type C
For Sale -
An Exceptionally Original Example of Early Motoring
This breath-takingly original 1901 Veteran Darracq Motorcar is the later version of the Type C Rear-entrance Tonneau Model. One of about 1200 thought to have been built, it is the most original example of a veteran or vintage car that we have ever encountered.
It stands as a true witness to over 125 years of motoring, and is, in our opinion, a museum-quality machine. This car has never been restored and retains all of its major compontents, however, it has had careful recommisioning enabling it to perform as one would expect.
It has entered and completed seven London to Brighton runs in recent decades but the current owner is aware that given its absolute originality, the balance of curation and care now requires a more gentle future for this incredible motorcar.
Everything that you can see captured in the photographs here, the paint and patina, the handpainted coachlines, are original. The leather on the seats is the original covering, as are the linolium floor coverings, the spoked wheels, the wooden body, the exhaust system; this truly is a working time capsule from the end of the Victorian era. When you touch the time-smoothed steering wheel, the brake lever, or grab the handrails to hop up, you are touching the exact same surfaces that were touched by people driving this car in a bygone world that we can hardly imagine.
UK registered as BS 8439.
French Reg. No. ‘878 P7’.
Chassis No. 27
Single cylinder 770cc
Perfecta engine.
Engine No. 2454
VCC Dating Certificate No. 2454
Click below for further historical information and a printable PDF document with key information. Please do contact Julian on 01825 740945 or via the button below to ask any questions, or to arrange a viewing.
Further Darracq information:
Pierre-Alexandre Darracq was born on November 10, 1855 in France. Whilst working at the Hurtu-Hautin & Diligeo factory manufacturing sewing machines and typewriters, Darracq designed a machine that won a gold medal at the 1889 Paris exhibition.
In 1891 Darracq, along with and Jean Aucoc, founded Française des Cycles Gladiator at Le Pré-Saint-Gervais. The bicycles were reputed to be reliable and also very affordable.
He sold his cycle company in 1896 to Clément-Bayard at a good profit and in 1897 he formed A. Darracq et Cie, later Automobiles Darracq (1896-1905) at Suresnes, France, making bicycle parts, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles. Darracq was set upon building cars, despite having never bothered to learn to drive. Darracq’s first effort in large-quantity production of automobiles occurred in 1898, when he began building Léon Bollée voiturettes under license.
In 1900, the company produced its first vehicle with an internal combustion engine. Designed by Paul Ribeyrolles, a graduate of the Arts et Métiers college at Chalons-sur-Marne, this was a 6.5 hp voiture legére powered by a 785 cc (47.9 cu in) single, and featured shaft drive and three speed column gear change. While not as successful as hoped, one hundred were sold. In 1901, Darracq signed a contract with Adam Opel to jointly produce vehicles in the German Empire under licence, with the brand name “Opel Darracq”. These cars were made up of Opel bodies mounted on a Darracq chassis, powered by a two-cylinder engine.
The Type C Darracq was a mid-to-low range automobile and was considered the first car produced by Darracq. The car was reliable and competitively priced.
The early Type Cs were powered by a single cylinder of De Dion-Bouton orgin 785 cm³, the same that fitted the De Dion-Button Type K1.
The transmission was entrusted to a double cardan shaft and the shift lever was placed in an unusual position at the time, that is, under the steering wheel.
By 1904 Darracq was the largest car manufacturer in the world with an annual production of 1600 cars, which represented 10% of the total car production in France at that time. In 1905, at the end of the Type C production, about 1200 cars had been produced. They were replaced in 1906 by the Darracq Type X.
You may like to know that the car in the 1953 classic British comedy film 'Genevieve', is a Darracq.
Viewing & Enquiries
The Darracq is available for private viewing by appointment. Please call Julian Parker Ltd (01825 740945)
