While hybrid- and flex-fuel cars may be all the rage in today's proto-post-petroleum age, the same approach was being used over 100 years ago by the makers of La Marquise, claimant to the title of the world's oldest running car. Admittedly, the coal, wood, and paper that the steam-powered Marquise uses may not be as eco-friendly as the ethanol or clean diesel of today, but it was enough to get the car's first owner--the Count De Dion--around at a blistering 38 mph when it left the factory in 1884.
According to Autoblog, La Marquise has had only two owners since Monsieur le compte and is about to get its fourth when it goes on sale for an estimated $1.5 million to $2 million at Pebble Beach next month. Just don't expect it to come with a lane-departure warning system or a night-vision camera.
Via Autoblog