A unique Benz, for sale after 123 years of family ownership

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What car holds the record for the longest period of single-family ownership? We don't know for sure, but we'd be surprised if it isn't this splendid 1900 Benz dos-à-dos, which has been in the same family from new - 123 years in total. Sadly, its original family has had to make the difficult decision to part with it, but it means that one lucky enthusiast has the chance to give it a new home and, who knows, maybe even put it back on the road, rally it and drive it to Brighton once a year.

A relatively small number of Benzes were built with the catalogued four-seater dos-à-dos body, but this one is particularly special because, in 1901, its first owner, Frederick Adolphus Hendy, founder of Hendy Motor Engineers in Southampton, gave it to local firm Andrews Coachworks for the construction of the unique front-end bodywork, containing a seat for his five-year-old granddaughter to occupy.

The car uses Benz's Contra engine, a horizontally-opposed twin-cylinder of 9-10hp, mated to a three-speed transmission. Benz claimed the dos-à-dos would run at 20-25mph on the level and climb gradients of up to 20%.

From campsite runabout to preservation pioneer

While not an awful lot of early documentation survives, some early photographs show the Benz somewhere in the wilderness, assisting a camping trip, believed to have been taken on the Isle of Wight circa 1905. In the group picture, F. A. Hendy is believed to be the third figure from the right in the back row. He was a devout Methodist, and it is thought the camping trip might have been part of a church outing.

In later life, CR 39 had an important rôle to play in popularising the early vehicle preservation movement. It helped to establish Britain's first successful motor museum, being loaned to Lord Montagu in 1952 as part of the display of veteran cars in the hallway of Beaulieu Palace House, which became the Montagu Motor Museum and is now the National Motor Museum. The Benz returned to Beaulieu on a number of occasions when the museum celebrated anniversaries of that inaugural exhibition.

In recent years, the Benz has been displayed at some local transport rallies, but it has not been driven any meaningful distance for a good 25 years. However, there's no need to worry about recommissioning as a specialist has just taken care of all that, so the new owner can get on with the important business of going for a drive and making sure it gets seen and appreciated by other enthusiasts and members of the public.

See it with PreWarCar.com in Paris

It's a beautiful car which presents very well having been cosmetically refreshed with some paint and a reupholstered driver's seat cushion in the 1950s, but with a pleasing natural patina evident throughout. Mechanically, it is totally original and just as Mannheim intended it. It deserves to be seen, and even if you're not in the market for it you should take a close look.

That will be possible between 1st and 5th February, when it will be displayed on the PreWarCar.com stand at Salon Rétromobile (Hall One, stand P072), held at the Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, along with two other special veterans. You can be sure of one thing: you'll never see another one like it.

Words: Zack Stiling
 

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