Examples of the Darracq automobile.
Concidentally both these vintage photographs, both believed to feature Darracq motorcars, arrived separately within a few days of each other from different sources. In both cases, the sender wishes to find out more about the car(s) shown below, so if anyone can help with identifying the exact models shown, that would be very helpful. The Darracq marque found fame with cinema-going audiences in 1953 by featuring in the BAFTA-winning film Genevieve, a wonderful film about a 1904 Darracq taking part in the London to Brighton run. Filmed in colour, it's worth watching for the road and traffic scenes, as well as the veteran cars taking part in the "race".
Darracq car photograph No.1
Firstly is this very early picture, showing a proud gent with his Darracq, seen in 1906 or thereabouts. John, who emailed the photo over, is researching the history of this gent, a photographer from the Victorian era. He adds: "The gentleman in the car is Alfred Seaman, a very
successful Victorian/Edwardian photographer, based in Chesterfield and Sheffield .... I have come across a picture of him from a family album, sitting in an old car. It was called a 'Darrach' in the album but I cant find any car of that make".
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Darracq photograph No.2
Next, is another Darracq, this time sent over by Chris who found it in a family album belonging to his father. Chris adds "He described it as a Darracq car belonging to Mr A.P.I. Cotterell, photographed in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, about 1905. My father is seated in the rear of the car. Can you tell me what model of Darracq it is? Thank you for your most interesting website and all the photographs of ancient cars".
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Most people at the turn of the 20th Century were more used to horse-drawn carriages and carts, leading to the new-fangled internally-combusting voitures often being referred to as "horseless carriages".
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Photograph No.3 - 12hp Darracq.
Peter kindly emailed over the next photograph, it features a 1905 12hp Darracq, as he now relates:
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The car is a 12 H.P. Darracq first registered on 29 March, 1905, in the County of Hereford (CJ 192) to John Henry Hall of Newton Villa (the house in the photo.), Ross-on-Wye. Originally the car was painted dark blue and had an unladen weight of 15 cwt. It was registered for private use.
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The person standing on the right is my grandfather. My great-grandfather is in the driving seat with his wife and her sister sitting behind. My grandfather's brother is standing on the left. I do not know who John Henry Hall was, but my great-grandfather's mother was Elizabeth Hall.
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Thanks for sending over the photo, and the background information.
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Return to page 8 in the Photographs of Old Cars section. In 2005 news of a land speed record Darracq featured on the site, more info here. A later, circa 1912, Darracq tourer can also be found on this page.
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