La Marquise, is, as of October 2011,thought to be the world's oldest running automobile. It is an 1884 model made by De Dion, Bouton & Trépardoux of France. The car was built as a prototype for future quadricycles, and named for the mother of Albert, the Count of Dion.
In 1887, the Count of Dion drove La Marquise in an exhibition that has sometimes been called the world’s first car race, though his was the only car that showed up. It made the 20-odd-mile Paris-to-Versailles round trip at an average speed of almost 16 miles per hour (26 km/h). The following year, he beat Bouton in a three-wheeler with an average speed of 18 miles per hour (29 km/h).
Fueled by coal, wood and bits of paper, the car takes 30–40 minutes to build up enough steam to drive. Top speed is 38 miles per hour (61 km/h).
As the oldest car, it wore the number "0" in the 1996 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The vehicle was sold at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance for $3.52 million. It sold again in 2011 for $4.6 million, a record price for an early automobile.
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