Tons of snow? Drive a Millot ! (UPDATE IV: grandson Benoit Millot)

• 
• 
• 
• 

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."

Kommentar abgeben...