Le magazine et marché mondial pour les passionnés de voitures classiques, par des passionnés.
Le magazine et marché mondial pour les passionnés de voitures classiques, par des passionnés.
Heavy snow all over NW Europe makes that many events - see VSCC's Brooklands meeting - must be rescheduled. There's also good news, like this first strong candidate for our 2011 (!) calender. Mr & Mrs Stefan Feller live near Bad Schandau, not too far form Dresden and the Czech border. They were keen to let out their undated (1900... something) Millot. As a serious motorcar enthusiast Mrs. Feller first gave a thorough check of the engine. And of course did refuel the lights. Photos by Stefan Feller. Do you know how to date a Millot? Let us know!
UPDATE III by Malcolm Jeal:"Millot, of Gray, Haute-Saône, began making stationary engines around 1894 (these being horizontal units) and introduced similar but vertical engines from around 1901/2, using variously paraffin, petrol, alcohol and gas as fuels. The single-cylinder engines were produced in sizes from 1 to 12cv and the two-cyclinder versions from 2 to 25cv. These engines were supplied for a wide variety of uses: agricultural applications of all sorts, electricty generation, fire-pumps, forestry work, marine activites, and so on. By 1908 Millot claimed that they had made over 4,200 such engines.
In connection with the forestry work, Millot made horse-drawn mobile saw benches of both circular and band saw pattern, powered by their stationary engines. In due course these were also offered in 'automobile' (self-moving) form by the application of a basic two-speed and reverse transmission system.
I have a 1908 Millot Sales Brochure and this shows a wide variety of these mobile saw benches, both horse-drawn and self-moving, with speeds of 4-6 kph being quoted for the latter. Such machines continued to be made at least up until the Great War, and probably afterwards as well.
The vehicle you show is a lightweight band-saw (Scie à Ruban automobile - attached picture 3) from which the saw mechanisim has been removed. A number of such machines surfaced in the 1960's and were converted into 'motorcars', which as I trust the above indicates, they never were. Millot did sell motorcars under their own name in the 1901-2 period, but whether they actally made these remains an open question.
UPDATE II by Thomas Rudolf: "it is a two-cylinders, 6 or 8 HP, if it is factory built car. Year 1900. If it is a one-cylinder 9HP it is only a mobile saw for the wood. Year 1900. One 12HP was built in in 1901 + one 8HP in 1902. "
UPDATE I came in from Stuart Penketh: "this is one of the first of their vehicles of 1900. Millot was a former French manufacturer of automobiles, who was active between 1900 and 1902. The Millot brothers owned a company that manufactured mobile chainsaws. Then started in 1900 to produce automobiles. The first model 6 / 8 CV had a two-cylinder engine, which was arranged horizontally, to the rear wheels via chain drive. There followed the four-cylinder Model 12 CV with tonneau style body. In 1902,the four-cylinder model 8 CV, and the single-cylinder model 9 CV were produced. In 1902 the production of automobiles ceased."