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World's oldest running car up for auction

By Zach Bowman RSS feed    Posted: Sep 25th 2011 2:06PM

The world's oldest running car is officially up for auction. The 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trapardoux Dos-A-Dos Steam Runabout has been owned by the same family for the past 81 years, and perhaps even more remarkably, has only had four owners in 127 years. With a top speed of 38 mph and a range of 20 miles on a single tank of water, the steam-powered tricycle has made the trek from London to Brighton four times and participated in the world's very first auto race. To be fair, it was was the only vehicle to show up, but that didn't stop it from averaging 16 mph and clipping off a top speed of 37 mph over the 20 mile course.

If the Runabout's motorsports credentials aren't enough for you, the vehicle brought home double awards at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours.

A total of 20 De Dion tricycles were manufactured, and of those, only six remain. This is the only operable example in existence, and if you want to make it yours, you'll need to give your checkbook a workout. RM Auctions expects the De Dion to command bids between $2 million and $2.5 million. Hit the jump for a quick video on the vehicle.