1913 | De Dion-Bouton Type DX Tourer

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Cliveden House event, 8 July 2025.
Offered Without Reserve | £18,000 - £22,000 GBP

• Formerly owned by the renowned collector Richard C Paine
• UK-delivery example, showing many period-correct features
• Attractive presentation throughout

Please note this car is offered without registration papers, bidders should satisfy themselves as to registration requirements in their own jurisdiction.


De Dion-Bouton is among the most famed names in early motoring, a pioneer not just in France but around the world as a large. By the late-1900s it had refocused from its original lightweight, moderately priced offerings to larger, more comfortable automobiles, offered in a wide series of configurations and chassis lengths to suit a wealthier, growing market. They were all known for their high quality and robust construction, and were in many cases held in the carriage houses of the most knowledgeable automobilists.

The Type DX of 1913 was a right-hand-drive model, equipped with a proprietary 1,642-cc side-valve four-cylinder engine rated at 10.8 horsepower. The model occupied nearly the top of the De Dion-Bouton range when it was new.

The example offered here is believed to have been originally delivered in the United Kingdom, due to its registration plate first issued in East Anglia. After, it appears to have remained in the area, and bears a later tax disc dated 1952. At some point after this, it made its way across the Atlantic. It was resident in Ontario, Canada—based upon a Motor League sticker still on the windscreen—then lived for many years in the fabled American Brass automobile collection of Richard C Paine, housed at the Seal Cove Auto Museum in Maine. This was known as one of the finest and most complete assemblages of its kind, as well as for the excellent originality of its specimens. It was sold from The Paine Collection in 2008, and several years after was purchased by Jim Boland.

Subsequently refinished to its present hue of deep scarlet, which greatly flatters its sporting lines, the De Dion still exhibits satisfying authenticity, including its original sill plates and UK-delivery Lucas King’s Own and King of the Road acetylene lamps, as well as a Smiths speedometer in miles, and SMA trumpet horn. Furthermore, the interior retains much of the weathered original leather upholstery, including embossed door panels, that has remained in the Type DX for its entire known life, carrying it from East Anglia to Maine to Ireland! Please note, while the Type DX was rallied by the Boland family until 2023, bidders are encouraged to consider a mechanical inspection prior to using the car on the road.

This car exhibits the charming patina common to the Boland automobiles, and would undoubtedly be an enjoyable touring machine for its next owner on either side of the ocean.

Please note this lot has entered the UK on a temporary import bond, which must be cancelled either by exporting the lot outside of the UK on an approved Bill of Lading with supporting customs documentation or by paying the applicable VAT and import duties to have the lot remain in the UK.


To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/ch25/.