Alternative drive concepts without opportunities
02/07/2016
For decades, there has hardly been an alternative to combustion engines in the volume business, and even in the classic car environment, petrol (and to a much lesser extent) diesel engines are the be-all and end-all.) And this despite the fact that at the beginning of the automotive era, three different drive concepts - combustion engines, steam engines and electric motors - were in close competition with each other to win the favour of buyers. As is well known, this race was clearly won by the piston engine, while steam and electric cars largely disappeared.
However, this should not be a reason why such alternative drives cannot become popular again. On the contrary, because even as a classic car, the electric vehicle, for example, certainly has its advantages.
At the Rétromobile in Paris, Artcurial auctioned off one representative each of the steam and electric guilds, but the hammer prices achieved were rather modest compared to the highly prized petrol-engined vehicles.
The Stanley 735 Steamer Torpedo from 1922, in which an engineer had invested a great deal of knowledge and experience to make it capable of top steam performance, did not go higher than 20,000 euros, while 17,000 euros were offered for the Pierre Faure Type PFA electric vehicle from 1941, which was in need of restoration.
Both are likely to be significantly rarer than some of the vehicles that reached six or even seven-figure sales prices, and the Pierre Faure and the Steamer are also quite visually appealing. But perhaps most of today's classic car drivers are simply not yet ready for alternative drive concepts?
The results of the Artcurial auction will be published shortly.
