Pre-1908 De Dion Bouton 12hp
Object No. B1510
This car was made in Paris before 1908 by the famous early French automobile manufacturer, De Dion Bouton, and was owned by Dr Robert Farrell of Quirindi, a town in north western NSW. De Dion Boutons were some of the earliest cars to be imported into and sold in Australia. The firm also pioneered semi-automatic transmission and other automotive advances. De Dion Bouton cars featured prominently in the history of Australia's early motoring. According to Pollard's "One for the Road", the first car imported into NSW, arrived in May 1900 on board the French freighter, "Ville de la Ciotat", was a 3 hp, water-cooled, 3-passenger 1899 De Dion Bouton Voiturette. The car was imported by the Sydney cycle dealer, W.J. C. (Billy) Elliot, and paraded through Sydney's streets before being purchased by A.J. Knowles. Elliot went on to operate a very successful De Dion Bouton agency. This was after he and Percy Hunter drove two, single-cylinder De Dion Boutons from Sydney to Melbourne in 1901 at an average speed of 27 mph (43 kph). The first man to be fined for speeding was at the wheel of a De Dion Bouton. Mr W.J. Proctor was driving to Flemington races in Victoria, in 1900, and frightened a racehorse which broke a leg. Under the Steam Roller and Traction Engine Act, which restricted the speed of vehicles to 3 mph, Proctor was convicted and had to pay 250 pounds for the race horse and 250 pounds in legal fees. Dr Antill Pockley was in a De Dion Bouton when he was the first to drive up the Blue Mountains to Leura, west of Sydney, although he had to climb up Lapstone hill in reverse. The first car to be purchased by the NSW Government was also a De Dion Bouton. Obtained from W.J.C. Elliott's Austral Cycle and Motor Co., this firm had to provide driving instructions to the various public servants who were to drive it on official duties. By 1915 Australia had an estimated 400 De Dion Bouton cars in all the Australian states. Winser, Keith, "The Story of Australian Motoring", 1955. Pollard, J., "One for the Road", 1966 Davis, Pedr, "The Australian Dictionary of Motoring", 2001. Margaret Simpson Curator, Transport April 2014
Loading...
Summary
Object Statement
Automobile, full size, De Dion Bouton, 12 hp, 4-cylinder, mainly chassis and seats, without body, various materials, made by De Dion Bouton & Cie, Paris, France, before 1908, used by Dr Robert Meredith Farrell, Quirindi / Pymble, New South Wales, Australia, 1908-1947
Physical Description
Automobile, full size, De Dion Bouton, 12 hp, 4-cylinder, mainly chassis & seats, no body, made by De Dion Bouton & Cie, Paris, France, before 1908, used by Dr Robert Meredith Farrell, Quirindi and Pymble, NSW, Australia, 1908-1947 Cover Unnumbered parts Timber steering wheel, 4-cylinder engine. The car has the NSW registration number plate 1653.
DIMENSIONS
Height
1430 mm
Width
2100 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The Marquis Jules-Albert De Dion, a businessman, and Georges Bouton, a designer, began building steam carriages in France in 1883. A very successful single-cylinder petrol engine was built by them in 1895 which was used in early Renaults. In 1888 the engine was fitted to a tubular steel frame which became the basis of the De Dion Bouton voiturette. In 1900 the company introduced a remarkable gearbox, designed by Bouton, which employed the basic principles of the modern automatic transmission with epicyclic gears and an automatic clutch. They also devised a shaft drive with a differential while other cars at the time still had chain drive. By 1904 De Dion Bouton was building four-cylinder cars and in 1908 a luxury V8. The firm lost their creative ingenuity after World War I and the last car to come off the assembly line was in 1931.
HISTORY
Notes
This De Dion Bouton has the NSW registration plate No. 1653. According to early motoring registration records, this number was issued in 1908 for a 10 hp De Dion Bouton owned by Dr Robert Meredith Farrell of Henry Street, Quirindi, a town in the north western NSW. Dr Farrell graduated with a Master of Surgery from the University of Sydney in 1897 and died in 1941 while living at Avon Road, Pymble, on Sydney's North Shore. Dr Farrell's daughter, Kathleen, drove the De Dion Bouton in a University of Sydney procession in 1937. In 1947 the car was donated to the Museum by Mrs Kathleen Anderson (nee Farrell) of Pymble.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Robertson, 1963
Acquisition Date
21 March 1963
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
Image Licensing Enquiry
Object Enquiry