Like most European nations, France enjoyed a burgeoning early motorcar industry, in which numerous manufacturers came and went, occasionally as rapidly as they had appeared. One such instance was the Colliot, produced by Deliry et Fils of Soissons. It was powered by either a 4½-horsepower, single-cylinder water-cooled engine, produced by the popular and renowned firm De Dion-Bouton, or, unusually, an air-cooled V-twin, both delivering their power through chain drive on a tubular chassis. The Colliot was an attractive vehicle of good proportions and, with the De Dion engine, had good power for its time. Unfortunately there were many other motorcars that met its description emerging on the scene, and so it was short-lived.

That offered here is the only known surviving Colliot, with the water-cooled De Dion-Bouton powerplant and a four-speed with reverse delivering power by chain drive to each rear wheel with solid rubber tyres. It has a rather rich history with the Veteran Car Club, having been owned during the 1940s by Major James Gardiner, a noted enthusiast of the era post-war era who served for many years as chairman of the VCC’s North-West Section. He participated with his automobiles in numerous VCC events, and indeed eventually bequeathed one of his stable, a 10 HP Wolseley, to the club in his will. It appears that for much of its early history the identity of this vehicle was unknown, with it regularly being described as simply “a De Dion-engined car”, before it was finally identified as a Colliot and appropriated dated as a 1901 model in December 1997, per the VCC dating paperwork on file.

The Colliot regularly participated in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run under previous long-term ownership, becoming well-known to the Run’s participants for its distinctive, handsome styling. It first participated in the Run around 1965, and has taken part in about 45 Runs since, most recently in 2021 when it completed the event with two people aboard. In older but presentable cosmetic condition, it is charmingly equipped with Lucas King of the Road F141 brass headlamps, as well as painted wire wheels. Altogether it would be an attractive entrant for a new caretaker, for whom it can justly be described as carrying on a rich tradition—in the only Colliot they are likely to see coming.