1897 Peugeot Chassis
1897-01-01/1897-12-31
National Motor Museum, Australia
Birdwood, Australia
Side view. This is the metal chassis only of a Type 17 Peugeot, produced between 1897 and 1902. This chassis, serial number 724, was built in May 1899 and originally had a twin-cylinder 7-horsepower engine. It was a three-seater with blue paint and blue upholstery and was number 81 of the 182 Type 17 cars built. The chassis and mechanical remains show some of the basic layout of these early production vehicles.
Early Peugeot chassis had a unique feature in that they also acted as the radiator. Coolant for the engine was pumped around the chassis to dissipate the engine's heat. The two larger wheels were chain-driven by means of a cross-shaft attached to a gearbox.
- Title: 1897 Peugeot Chassis
- Date Created: 1897-01-01/1897-12-31
- Provenance: The Peugeot family, who still control the independent French motor manufacturer today, began life as ironmongers manufacturing coffee grinders, umbrella frames and bicycles. In 1889 Peugeot produced a steam driven three-wheeler in conjunction with Leon Serpollet. Their later twin cylinder petrol-engine cars generated substantial demand, and production increased from five sold in 1891, to no less than 72 in 1895. A new company entitled SA des Automobiles Peugeot was formed in 1897 to manufacture motor cars at Audincourt, taking over from the quaintly-named ‘Les Fils de Peugeot Freres’ (The Sons of Brothers Peugeot). In 1898 the company introduced a 3.3 litre engine and produced a milestone 300 cars in 1899. This chassis was discovered in the sands of the bank of the River Murray at Caloote, South Australia around 1965. It was later acquired by Len Vigar, then Director of The Birdwood Mill Museum. These remains of a Type 17 Peugeot car, built in May 1899, passed to the South Australian Government when it purchased the Museum collections and established the National Motor Museum. There is no record of the car’s history in Australia, and its ownership and import details remain a mystery. The chassis, a three-seater with blue paint and blue upholstery, was in extremely poor condition, but was treated professionally in 1997 and 1999 to protect it from further corrosion and decay. This included submerging it in a bath of tannic acid.
- Rights: History Trust of South Australia, CC-0
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