De Dion-Bouton ID (1928)

With the De Dion-Bouton we return to the very beginning of the automobile. Count Albert de Dion nicknamed “Comte-Mécanicien” was passionate about technology and wanted to develop his own mechanically propelled carriage. In 1881 he decided to shift up a gear and hired the instrument maker Georges Bouton. After a year of toil, their first steam vehicle left the workshop. At that time still fully focused on steam locomotion, De Dion built a huge complex in Puteaux near Paris. They gained name and fame through their rigid rear axle, still known today as De-Dion axle. After a first reliability match between Paris and Rouen, it turned out that of the 15 participants who managed to reach the finish, 13 had an internal combustion engine. Always eager for mechanical news, De Dion decided to switch to this and with success. In 1895 their first product appeared, a single-cylinder tricycle. Not only did they build their own vehicles, but their technology was so reliable that they also supplied to various other car manufacturers. After the first single-cylinder, the two-cylinder came out in 1903 and the four-cylinder in 1905. In 1910, De Dion was the first to build a series-produced V8 of any significance. Plagued by financial hardship, the factory temporarily closed its doors in 1927. Production resumed shortly afterwards with a 2.5 liter 8 cylinder and the 4 cylinder. Production numbers, however, remained low and the last passenger car was built in 1932, but the factory remained active until the late 1940s.
Albert de Dion was not the father of the French automotive industry, but also one of the 3 founding members of the other French institute: Automobile Club de France.
The type IW model offered here is the Sport Special, the rally model from the Belle Epoque, so to speak.
A similar type rode the legendary 1915 Targa Florio.
The car spent most of its age in the Balearic Islands and in 1965 in Bari, Italy.
There, the car resides in a personal collection, which explains the exceptionally preserved condition, a real museum piece and an original addition to every fleet.
and a real eye-catcher at any pre-war event. The car is still on its original Spanish registration, with all documents going back to the 1936 registration in Palma. With this De Bouton you not only recruit a unique vehicle, but also a piece of European automotive heritage.