1897 Didion Vuitton race trike showcased in museum program

Alan Travis, a guest at the museum—Time Capsule program, described and demonstrated a restored 1897 Didion Vuitton Explosion Race Trike, saying the vehicle—s crankcase is dated January 1897 and calling it "the oldest production vehicle in North America that runs on hydrocarbons."

Travis said the single-cylinder trike was made in France and that manufacturers produced similar machines from 1897 to about 1900. "This one goes around 35 mile an hour," he said, adding that in "race trim" comparable machines reached about 45 mph. Travis described the engine as predating modern carburetors, using a large atmospheric carburetor and a fuel system that relied on solvent fumes: "It runs on dry cleaning fluids—hexane or heptane and petroleum ether," he said.

Travis demonstrated how the vehicle is started and operated. He said the trike is always in gear and that an operator pedals to about 4 or 5 mph, engages the ignition powered by "telephone batteries from the 18 nineties," and the engine "starts popping" until the vehicle smooths out after 7 or 8 mph. He said the trike readily reaches 25 mph and can be accelerated further by advancing the hydrocarbon fumes and ignition timing. Travis described short front-wheel "wheelies" of an inch or two during the initial acceleration.

He placed the trike in its historical context, saying early vehicles before this era were steam- or coal-powered and that France led early automobile development, with the United States several years behind. Travis noted that vehicles like this were expensive at the time, "the price of a house back then," and that the trike represented a substantial leap in controllable speed compared with earlier self-propelled farm tractors.

The museum host closed by inviting visitors: "We are open Wednesday through Saturday 10 to 3 or by special appointment," the staff member said.