It is said that Bedelia cars originated when two impecunious students, Robert Bourbeau and Henri Devaux, crashed a motorcycle and could not afford to replace it. Instead, they built the remains into a two-seat tandem car, with steering operated from the rear seat and a belt drive running from the front-mounted engine to the rear wheels. They named the cars “Bedelia,” as a play on their surnames, and before long the Bedelias were racing quite effectively — one even winning the 1913 Cyclecar Grand Prix.
This example is believed to date from 1912 and is powered by an Anzani V-twin engine. Its early history is unknown, but by 1979 it had already become part of the famed Schlumpf Collection in Malmerspach, France. In 2008, the Bedelia passed from the Reserve Collection to the former owner, who returned it to running order, though it remains in need of refurbishment. In recent years, it joined the distinguished Pearl Collection. Undeniably charismatic and a statement of the time, a Bedelia is sure to be a talking point in any collection.
(Introductory description courtesy of Gooding Christie’s.)
