You would think that this car would be in a museum, but it’s not. In fact on August 19 it will be auctioned off in Pebble Beach, California for the estimated price of $1.5 million and $2 million.  

This car was built in France, about a year before Gottlieb Daimler and Otto Benz built their first experimental gasoline-powered car. The cars original name was De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, nicknamed “La Marquis.” The first owner of the car was the French Count De Dion. He was the founder of the company. According to the auction house Gooding & Company, the car has only had two owners since.  

According to Gooding & Company in the 1887 demonstration drive La Marquis covered a 19 mile course at the average speed of 26 mph. It runs at the top speed of 38 mph. This little car has some power because the next year it won the world’s first car race.

How does the steam-powered engine fueled? Well the engine is fueled by coal, wood, and pieces of paper. The only downfall is that it takes about a half-hour to work up enough steam to drive. Sort of like the tires we use today, La Marquis has thin tires that are made of solid rubber wrapped around metal wheels.

According to Bob Casey, curator of the Transportation for the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield village in Dearborn, Michigan, La Marquis is possibly the oldest running automobile. Of course there are older cars in the museum, but none of them are safe to drive, nor fully functional.