l’Obeissante: 151 Years Old And Still Going Strong!

Images: Musée des Arts et Métiers – CNAM (Franck Botté, Michèle Favareille)

Considered as the first ‘touring’ vehicle, l’Obéissante—built in 1873 by Amédée Bollée—was a star at the 2023 Rétromobile Salon, where it kicked off the festivities linked to the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in hall 1 of Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, from 1st to 5th February, 2023.

This emblematic piece of automotive history, kept at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, is the very first vehicle to have been driven on the route of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

On 9th October 1875, during the journey that made this vehicle famous, l’Obéissante collected as many as 75 fines between Le Mans and Paris: it was the price to pay so that this vehicle could go down in history!

Amédée Bollée covered the 230 kilometres in 18 hours, with stops to take water and meals included. Bollée had indeed taken the necessary steps with the services of the Ministry of Public Works to obtain a ‘driver's license’ for l’Obéissante on the road, but the ‘driving’ of automobiles was not yet provided for in the regulations of the time.

The fines, incidentally, were eventually cancelled after a demonstration of l’Obéissante with, on board, the prefect of police!

This exceptional vehicle, the first vehicle with mechanical and steam traction, could carry 12 passengers, a driver and a chauffeur, the person feeding the fire. Thanks to its tubular boiler, its chain transmission and its two V-twin engines, it could travel at a cruising speed of 30 km/h. Maximum speed was around 40 km/h, and it had the ability to climb gradients of up to 12 percent!

Named l’Obéissante because of its great steering stability, it was later touted as the first high-speed automobile.

A 101 years ago, l’Obéissante took part in the Le Mans Cup of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, on the brand new 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. It was one of several significant historic vehicles on display as a part of the exhibition called Permis de conduire? (A license to drive) which was on at the Musée des Arts et Métiers (in Paris) until 7th May 2023. If you were in Paris for Retromobile 2023, it would have been worth popping into Musée des Arts et Métiers, where you could have seen some of the oldest horseless carriages ever.

The presentation of l’Obéissante at the Rétromobile show was associated with a program of activities intended for a ‘family audience’. On Saturday (4th February), from 2pm onwards, four of the great-great-grandchildren of Amédée Bollée had a chat with the public about the heritage bequeathed by their illustrious ancestor.

On Saturday, the 4th and the 5th of February, 2023, families were invited to come and make an optical toy on the theme of l’Obéissante. Throughout the show, visitors were able to come and meet the team from the museums, and experience an ephemeral ‘Special Retromobile’ shop.

l’Obéissante was subsequently on display at the Bologna historic vehicle show in October 2023. Now it is back at the Chateau de Compiegne, where it has been on display for best part of the last hundred years.