Who owns the oldest car in the world?

1884 "La Marquise" De Dion Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos. Photo by RM.

The World’s oldest running car, a French 1884 De Dion Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos (say THAT five time fast!) is set to cross the auction block at RM’s October 7 auction at Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA. The expected going price: $2 million to $2.5 million.

Dubbed “La Marquise” after the original owner’s mother, this historic ride has no gas pedal or foot brakes and you’ll swap spark plugs for steam power. But you’ll get bragging rights that no one else in your local vintage car club can claim. It all began when young Count de Dion, a celebrated dualist and ladies’ man, happened by a toy store looking for toys to give as prizes at an upcoming ball. He was so intrigued by the quality of workmanship of a model steam engine that he hired away the two toymakers who had built it and challenged them to build a full-sized engine that could power a carriage. Legend has it that the Count also was an animal advocate bent on freeing horses from the drudgery of pulling carriages.

Working for an enviable 10 francs a day, Georges Bouton and Charles-Armand Trepardoux first connected a steam engine to a tricycle, then built a Victoria quadricycle in 1883. Unfortunately, the rear-wheel steering proved quite the inconvenience, as did the liquid fuel’s propensity to catch fire. And its large, vertical, up-front boiler made the initial model look a bit like a giant coffee pot on wheels. So, the two went back the drawing board and designed what would become the La Marquise – a more compact, steam-powered quadricycle with front-wheel steering and rear-wheel drive via connecting rods much like a locomotive.

In his later years, De Dion boasted that the La Marquise “can be considered the embryo of the first touring automobile. It had four seats and it was already a family car.”

He kept the car until 1906, when he sold it to French army officer Henri Doriol, whose family kept it for 81 years, but never ran it. Brass and copper fittings had been sacrificed to the war effort in 1914 and post-war attempts to restore it failed. In 1987, the family auctioned the La Marquise off in Paris. The buyer was Tim Moore, a British Veteran Car Club member who painstakingly restored the vehicle to its original condition (including manufacturing those war-lost fittings) and got her running. The La Marquise returned the favor by racking up a list of prestigious honors including the 1991 UK National Steam Heritage Premier Award for Restoration and Preservation; a double award at Pebble Beach in 1997; the U1 steam class and the Automobile Quarterly Historian’s Trophy; the class win of Pre-Century Steam Cars at Goodwood in 1999, and an honor at the 1996 Louis Vuitton Concours at the Royal Hurlingham Club in London in 1996.

Alas, Moore now faces quite the conundrum: he’s got two kids and no idea how to leave the car in his will without causing a bit of sibling warfare – Thus, your chance to bid and become the La Marquise’s next owner.  Think you’ll place a bid for the lovely La Marquise? E3 Spark Plugs wants to hear from you. Leave a comment on our E3 Spark Plugs blog or our Facebook fan page.

Many of them have stood the test of time and nearly 200 years later, are still in existence. Here are seven of the oldest car brands in the world.

Note: Many of these brands weren't initially car manufacturers at the time of establishment, but over time expanded into the automotive segment and have remained a part of it in some way or other ever since.

Renault was established in the year 1899, by three brothers: Fernand, Louis and Marcel Renault in France. While Louis Renault handled the design and building, Fernand and Marcel handled the business and management side of the company.

Renault, although a car brand from the start, expanded into other streams such as building trucks, buses and commercial cargo vehicles. Then during World War I, the company even built military aircraft engines, along with other agricultural and industrial machinery.

Today, Renault is one of the largest car companies in the world, with its presence in over 100 countries around the world, including India.

Land Rover is England's first car brand, founded back in 1896. However, at the time of establishment, the company was called Lancashire Steam Motor Company. The brand underwent a number of changes over the year, before finally changing the name to 'Land Rover' in 1978.

The company initially produced steam lawn mowers, before eventually starting the production of steam-powered vans. The company is considered a British icon and to this date, serves the Royal Family.

Skoda Auto was founded in 1885 and was initially called Laurin & Klement. The company was based out of the Kingdom of Bohemia and initially manufactured bicycles and motorcycles. The company first started building cars in 1905, before being bought over by Skoda Works, allowing it to be renamed 'Skoda Auto'.

Skoda over the years has gone on to become one of the world's biggest car brands. The company in 2000, became a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.

The brand 'Mercedes-Benz' as we know it today, technically came into existence in 1926. However, the brand is a collaboration between two other companies: Daimler founded in 1890 and Benz & Cie established in 1883.

Benz & Cie was founded by Carl Benz, Max Rose and Friedrich Wilhelm, as mentioned in 1883. Three years later, the trio built the 'Benz Patent Motorwagen' - said to be the world's first gasoline-powered vehicle.

Daimler on the other hand was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in 1890. The company built petrol engines. Later in 1926, the two companies merged to form 'Mercedes-Benz'.

Opel was yet another German company which was first established in 1862 as a sewing machine manufacturer. The company expanded to bicycles in 1886 and later to cars in 1899 and a few years later, shifted its focus completely to automobiles, discontinuing its sewing machine manufacturing process.

By 1913, Opel became the largest carmaker in Germany and even went on to become the biggest car manufacturer in Europe in 1930.

2. Tatra

Tatra is the first automobile brand from Czech Republic. The brand was established in 1851 and was initially called Ignatz Schustala & Comp. The company underwent a number of name changes, before ending up with 'Tatra' in 1919. Their first car, however, came out in 1897 and was called the Prasident Automobile.

Initially manufacturing cars, the company expanded to building trucks and tank engines during World War II for Germany. The company finally shut down the car manufacturing side of their business in 1999 and now specialise in all-wheel-drive trucks.

1. Peugeot

Peugeot is the world's oldest car brand in existence. The company was established in 1810 and started off as a coffee-mill company by Armand Peugeot. The company expanded to motorcycle production first in 1830, before manufacturing cars in 1882.

The brand's first car was built in collaboration with Leon Serpollet, however, it wasn't too successful. Later in 1890, the duo made their first car for mass production using a Panhard-Daimler engine. The brand is now a part of the PSA Groupe.

So, there you have it. The seven oldest car brands still in existence. which brand's history surprised you the most? let us know!