Description
1911 De Dion Bouton Type CS2 Tourer
Registration no. DEZ1911
Engine no. 6765C
Gearbox no. 26183
The Type CS2 has a 14hp, four-cylinder engine of 2121cc with mechanical valves, a double sleeve sliding pinion, four-speed gearbox, and a pressed steel chassis. It was launched at the Paris Salon at the end of November 1911, and remained in production until the end of the following year. With a price tag of F. Fr 8, 100, it was aimed at the higher end of the market, and sold well. An example of this particular model can be found at the Shlumpf Museum in France.
This car, the only one of its kind recorded by the Amicale De Dion Bouton, was delivered new in the Limousin region.
It was a mechanic-wheelwright from the village of Moutier-Rozeille, near Aubusson, who sold it in 1911 to its first owner for 8, 000 gold francs, a considerable sum at a time when a popular model like the two-cylinder Renault AX cost 5, 000 francs fully bodied. This price only reflects the mechanical components, as the manufacturer De Dion Bouton only soldthe bare chassis; the cost of the bodywork had to be added to the 8, 000 francs. It is likely that the original bodywork was made locally, given that the selling agent was a woodworking specialist.
During the 1920s, the elegant 14 CV lost its status as a gentleman's car and was transformed into a flatbed, as was often the case at the time for cars too outdated for private use but still capable of providing utilitarian service and also enabled it to qualify for fuel coupons after the Great War. It was in this form that it ended up in the1930’s with a garage owner in La Courtine, a Citroën dealer named René Mœuf, who sold it to a craftsman in Flayat, also in the Creusedepartment. This craftsman still owned it in 1939. And fearing it would be requisitioned during the war by the German occupiers he completely dismantled it, hiding the pieces everywhere, from the bedroom to the manure pile, even going so far as to cut the chassis in two (The repair can still be clearly seen). He died in 1949 without direct heirs, and his estate wasn't settled until 1955. The lucky recipient of the car then offered it to Mr. Mœuf's son, a mechanic at the La Courtine military camp and also in possession of a large number of vintage vehicles accumulated by his father. This mechanic reassembled the parts and kept the vehicle until 2002, when it was sold to Mr. Francis Holderer.
Mr. Holderer then decided to restore it and rebodied the car as a double phaeton (according to the original factory plans provided by the De Dion Bouton Club). He commissioned the renowned coachbuilder Marcadier in Fléac and asked them to construct a new ash wood frame for the vehicle. The car was sold and exported to England in December 2014.
This car was imported from France some years later, and following a substantial restoration of the open bodied tourer coachwork the car was reborn. It has been fastidiously maintained. It starts easily, requires little effort to maintain a steady cruising speed of 40+mph, is extremely comfortable for front and rear passengers, and is well equipped with enough brass equipment to keep the most fastidious of polishers well occupied. The paintwork is in superb condition along with the upholstery which presents beautifully.
The car came to us at NP Veteran Engineering in 2024 and received a strip down of the engine, with fitment of new pistons and rings which has resulted in renewed performance and reliability.
Offered now for sale, this beautifully cared for car is ready to be enjoyed and used immediately.
£35, 000 GBP
