The Flickr P17E Image Generatr

Making its way down the town street at Beamish Museum is this splendidly restored 1905 DeDion Bouton Model-Y car, UK registered BY 509. The car is a single cylinder 6hp model.

Unfortunately, for me, the car is somewhat spoiled by unnecessary embellishments. The remembrance poppies were not introduced until the 1920's, so don't really fit here. Also, the cartoon moustache and imposing rally stickers on the windscreen serve no useful purpose. None-the-less it is still a beautiful little car.

De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1953. They launched their first four-wheeled vehicles in September 1899.

The De Dion is overtaking a timber wagon and being pursued by an extremely unusual and well restored example of French motor manufacturing, a Citroen C4 P17E Kegresse halftrack car of 1934 vintage.

This marque of vehicle is widely regarded as the forerunner of today's off-road vehicles. The first version was developed in 1913 by Adolphe Kegresse, a French engineer/inventor, specifically for the use of the Tsar of Russia.

Most of these cars were used initially for military purposes. The French army alone had 1,700 P17's during their production run (1929-1934) and they were present in a number of other European armies. They were also used extensively in agricultural and forestry settings.

The vehicles were at Beamish for their 2023 Steam Gala.

Copyright © 2023 Terry Pinnegar Photography. All Rights Reserved. THIS IMAGE IS NOT TO BE USED WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION!

Chassis n° 10629

Bonhams
Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris
The Grand Palais Éphémère
Place Joffre
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2023

Estimated : € 20.000 - 30.000
Sold for € 34.500

A curious mixture of romantic visionary and practical businessman, André Citroën knew a promising invention when he saw one. While travelling through Poland at the age of 22, he had visited a foundry where they were using an unfamiliar type of gearwheel with V-shaped teeth. He immediately recognised the potential of this design and bought the patent, setting up André Citroën & Cie in the rue Saint-Denis near the Gare du Nord to develop a way of manufacturing his new double-helical gears.
Turning to motor car production after WWI, Citroën acquired the sole rights to an ingenious form of caterpillar-track drive system that had been invented by engineer Adolphe Kégresse. French-born Kégresse had developed the idea at the behest of his erstwhile employer, Czar Nicholas II, who had wanted a means of adapting his cars to drive across deep snow. Rather than use the heavy steel hinged plates of a conventional crawler tractor, Kégresse devised a lightweight system that employed rubber bands running around bogies driven from the rear axle. Patents were filed in Russia and France, and by the time The Great War broke out, the 'Système Kégresse' had been perfected.

Returning to France after the Revolution, Kégresse was introduced to André Citroën, who immediately recognised the potential of his invention and purchased the sole rights, setting up Société Citroën-Kégresse-Hinstin to develop and manufacture it. One of the Kégresse system's major advantages was the fact that it did not require a vehicle of great power, and initial tests were conducted using an adapted B2 model of 10CV. These autochenilles (chenille = caterpillar) were an immediate success, finding employment throughout Europe in farming, forestry and a variety of military applications.
This swift acceptance was due in no small part to the various publicity stunts dreamt up to demonstrated their remarkable off-road capabilities, one of which involved a Citroën Kégresse towing a 3.5-ton maison roulante (literally: 'mobile home') up a 106m high sand dune. Of greater significance though, was the crossing of the Sahara Desert during the winter of 1922/23 by an expedition of five Citroën Kégresse B2s, thus establishing the viability of an overland route for motor transport from Algeria to French Equatorial Africa. The five little cars completed the 3,000-mile journey from Touggourt to Timbuktu in an astonishing 21 days, a mere fraction of the time taken by a camel train.

This Kégresse P17E was ordered by the French war ministry in December 1933, it is by consequence a 1934 model which started its life in the French army.
Sadly, nothing is known of the history of this Citroën Kégresse, which has been kept in storage since its acquisition by the vendor.

Chassis n° 10629

Bonhams
Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris
The Grand Palais Éphémère
Place Joffre
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2023

Estimated : € 20.000 - 30.000
Sold for € 34.500

A curious mixture of romantic visionary and practical businessman, André Citroën knew a promising invention when he saw one. While travelling through Poland at the age of 22, he had visited a foundry where they were using an unfamiliar type of gearwheel with V-shaped teeth. He immediately recognised the potential of this design and bought the patent, setting up André Citroën & Cie in the rue Saint-Denis near the Gare du Nord to develop a way of manufacturing his new double-helical gears.
Turning to motor car production after WWI, Citroën acquired the sole rights to an ingenious form of caterpillar-track drive system that had been invented by engineer Adolphe Kégresse. French-born Kégresse had developed the idea at the behest of his erstwhile employer, Czar Nicholas II, who had wanted a means of adapting his cars to drive across deep snow. Rather than use the heavy steel hinged plates of a conventional crawler tractor, Kégresse devised a lightweight system that employed rubber bands running around bogies driven from the rear axle. Patents were filed in Russia and France, and by the time The Great War broke out, the 'Système Kégresse' had been perfected.

Returning to France after the Revolution, Kégresse was introduced to André Citroën, who immediately recognised the potential of his invention and purchased the sole rights, setting up Société Citroën-Kégresse-Hinstin to develop and manufacture it. One of the Kégresse system's major advantages was the fact that it did not require a vehicle of great power, and initial tests were conducted using an adapted B2 model of 10CV. These autochenilles (chenille = caterpillar) were an immediate success, finding employment throughout Europe in farming, forestry and a variety of military applications.
This swift acceptance was due in no small part to the various publicity stunts dreamt up to demonstrated their remarkable off-road capabilities, one of which involved a Citroën Kégresse towing a 3.5-ton maison roulante (literally: 'mobile home') up a 106m high sand dune. Of greater significance though, was the crossing of the Sahara Desert during the winter of 1922/23 by an expedition of five Citroën Kégresse B2s, thus establishing the viability of an overland route for motor transport from Algeria to French Equatorial Africa. The five little cars completed the 3,000-mile journey from Touggourt to Timbuktu in an astonishing 21 days, a mere fraction of the time taken by a camel train.

This Kégresse P17E was ordered by the French war ministry in December 1933, it is by consequence a 1934 model which started its life in the French army.
Sadly, nothing is known of the history of this Citroën Kégresse, which has been kept in storage since its acquisition by the vendor.

Chassis n° 10629

Bonhams
Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris
The Grand Palais Éphémère
Place Joffre
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2023

Estimated : € 20.000 - 30.000
Sold for € 34.500

A curious mixture of romantic visionary and practical businessman, André Citroën knew a promising invention when he saw one. While travelling through Poland at the age of 22, he had visited a foundry where they were using an unfamiliar type of gearwheel with V-shaped teeth. He immediately recognised the potential of this design and bought the patent, setting up André Citroën & Cie in the rue Saint-Denis near the Gare du Nord to develop a way of manufacturing his new double-helical gears.
Turning to motor car production after WWI, Citroën acquired the sole rights to an ingenious form of caterpillar-track drive system that had been invented by engineer Adolphe Kégresse. French-born Kégresse had developed the idea at the behest of his erstwhile employer, Czar Nicholas II, who had wanted a means of adapting his cars to drive across deep snow. Rather than use the heavy steel hinged plates of a conventional crawler tractor, Kégresse devised a lightweight system that employed rubber bands running around bogies driven from the rear axle. Patents were filed in Russia and France, and by the time The Great War broke out, the 'Système Kégresse' had been perfected.

Returning to France after the Revolution, Kégresse was introduced to André Citroën, who immediately recognised the potential of his invention and purchased the sole rights, setting up Société Citroën-Kégresse-Hinstin to develop and manufacture it. One of the Kégresse system's major advantages was the fact that it did not require a vehicle of great power, and initial tests were conducted using an adapted B2 model of 10CV. These autochenilles (chenille = caterpillar) were an immediate success, finding employment throughout Europe in farming, forestry and a variety of military applications.
This swift acceptance was due in no small part to the various publicity stunts dreamt up to demonstrated their remarkable off-road capabilities, one of which involved a Citroën Kégresse towing a 3.5-ton maison roulante (literally: 'mobile home') up a 106m high sand dune. Of greater significance though, was the crossing of the Sahara Desert during the winter of 1922/23 by an expedition of five Citroën Kégresse B2s, thus establishing the viability of an overland route for motor transport from Algeria to French Equatorial Africa. The five little cars completed the 3,000-mile journey from Touggourt to Timbuktu in an astonishing 21 days, a mere fraction of the time taken by a camel train.

This Kégresse P17E was ordered by the French war ministry in December 1933, it is by consequence a 1934 model which started its life in the French army.
Sadly, nothing is known of the history of this Citroën Kégresse, which has been kept in storage since its acquisition by the vendor.

Standing on the events field at Beamish Museum is this extremely unusual and well restored example of French motor manufacturing, a Citroen C4 P17E Kegresse halftrack car of 1934 vintage.

This marque of vehicle is widely regarded as the forerunner of today's off-road vehicles. The first version was developed in 1913 by Adolphe Kegresse, a French engineer/inventor, specifically for the use of the Tsar of Russia.

Most of these cars were used initially for military purposes. The French army alone had 1,700 P17's during their production run (1929-1934) and they were present in a number of other European armies. They were also used extensively in agricultural and forestry settings.

This vehicle was visiting Beamish Museum as part of The Great North Steam Fair of 2019.

Copyright © 2019 Terry Pinnegar Photography. All Rights Reserved. THIS IMAGE IS NOT TO BE USED WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION!

Trundling down the cobbled town street at Beamish Museum is this extremely unusual and well restored example of French motor manufacturing, a Citroen C4 P17E Kegresse halftrack car of 1934 vintage.

This marque of vehicle is widely regarded as the forerunner of today's off-road vehicles. The first version was developed in 1913 by Adolphe Kegresse, a French engineer/inventor, specifically for the use of the Tsar of Russia.

Most of these cars were used initially for military purposes. The French army alone had 1,700 P17's during their production run (1929-1934) and they were present in a number of other European armies. They were also used extensively in agricultural and forestry settings.

This vehicle was visiting Beamish Museum as part of The Great North Steam Fair of 2019.

Copyright © 2019 Terry Pinnegar Photography. All Rights Reserved. THIS IMAGE IS NOT TO BE USED WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION!

Citroën C4 P17E 1934

ICCCR 2016, Netherlands.

Video: youtu.be/zysttFiA0yY

ICCCR 2016, Netherlands.

Video: youtu.be/zysttFiA0yY

ICCCR 2016, Netherlands.

Video: youtu.be/zysttFiA0yY

ICCCR 2016, Netherlands.

Video: youtu.be/zysttFiA0yY

ICCCR 2016, Netherlands.

Video: youtu.be/zysttFiA0yY

23ème salon champenois du véhicule de collection 2010
Les Belles Champenoises d'époque
Parc Des Expositions de Reims