Forget everything and start again: driving lessons on a 1900 De Dion Bouton Vis-à-vis.When the owner is away in November, and he asks if you want to drive his 1900 De Dion Bouton Vis-à-vis during the coming London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the answer is easy... But then one needs to learn to drive it first, and what better location than a disused airfield ? And why not the track used by Top Gear ? And why not during the 'Supercar Event' in favour of 'The Children's Trust', a charity for children with brain injury ?
Already for the third time, the De Dion Bouton Club UK used this event as an excuse to race veteran tricycles, and over the complete weekend, some 15 machines, ranging from 1898 to 1901 and mostly powered by De Dion Bouton engines competed in the ' Team Jarrott' race, named after one of the first British racing drivers, of course first on a tricycle: Charles Jarrott.
But just before the turn of the century, Count De Dion and mechanical mastermind Bouton realised that this most successful tricycle needed upgrading anyhow, and the De Dion Bouton Vis-à-vis was launched.
When it comes to learn to drive it, forget everything you know about driving cars and start from scratch. Most controls are on the single column that comes straight out of the floor. It carries a handle for the steering, and a handle for the gearchange. Use of the steering handle is logical and straightforward, the gear handle is a little different... But first, to start, one has to get in the boot, where the engine is located. Make sure the engine is oiled
, open the petrol tap, tickle the carb and adjust two more levers that are on the steering quadrant. The lever nearest to the driver is the throttle, the one opposite is the advance/retard. Set this one to fully retard, and the throttle at a third or so. Beneath the drivers left leg, there is an ignition switch, that must be set from A (Arrêt) to M (Marche). Then to the starting handle, which is located on the right side of the car. A few hefty rotations should make the engine start ! If it doesn't, check if the automatic inlet is not sticky. If it isn't, it should make a gargling sound, meaning it lets the air in.Once the engine is started (and the advance lever advanced), to get the car in motion, the gear lever is gently moved by the drivers left hand from its neutral position (at 9 o'clock), towards the driver (6 o'clock), which makes it go into first gear, very very smoothly. Throttle up a little, and when speed is gained, move from 6 to 12 o'clock, clockwise, to get to top gear. Indeed, there are only two gears ! In the meantime, do not forget to keep steering, with the right hand, mostly.
An important question comes up: how to stop it ? For braking, the driver's left foot can push the transmission brake, but it is not as effective as the contracting band brakes on the two rear wheels. The control of this is with the gearchange lever, which can also be pushed down, when in neutral, thus
giving a most effective braking.All of the above takes about a minute to explain, and three and a half minutes to get used to ! And most importantly: once one gets the hang of it, it is tremendous fun !