In this age of eco-fuel efficiency, car conversations invariably turn to the environment and the future of oil-based fuels. Biofuels, whether made from farmed crops or alcohol, are often the suggested solution. The future of the internal combustion engine and what will power it is, of course, uncertain. But then again nothing is really new!

If we look back at the early pioneers of the automobile we may learn a thing or two. In the latter part of the 19th century these inventors were faced with similar challenges. One idea, developed in Switzerland in the 1890s, was a motorcar that could run on either alcohol or petrol with very slight adjustment. That car was the Henriod, of which there is only one known surviving example. Owned by Roy Fisher of Eastbourne, on the south coast of England, the 6 hp Henriod Duc, or “Madame Henriod” as he calls his pride and joy, is untouched, never having been restored, and is completely intact.

First, the history bit: In 1890 a 24-year-old Swiss gentleman by the name of Charles-Edouard Henriod married his sweetheart, Marie-Louise Baehni, in the town of Bienne, Switzerland. Both came from engineering families: the Henriods manufactured automobiles while the Baehnis owned a hairspring factory. The Henriod family had been involved in the construction of automobiles since the steam days. With the advent of liquid fuels they used the newfangled Otto Motor, the great granddaddy of today’s four-stroke engines. Charles-Edouard was always inventing things and an engine of his own design was only a matter of time.

The model that remains today was first presented to the public, after several years of development, at the Geneva Industry Fair in 1896, where it won a gold medal for innovation. The Henriod Freres company was formed and was a great success. Henriod automobiles received acclaim for taking part in regularity runs for alcohol-fueled engines from Paris to Bordeaux and Geneva. The developments continued until 1898 when a new car was shown in Paris and, with renewed interest and financial backing, a company was formed in the Paris suburb of Neuilly to assemble the Swiss-manufactured Henriods.

The company sold a limited numbers of cars of different sizes and designs while Charles concentrated more on technical developments. Indeed, during that time, Charles-Edouard Henriod invented the automatic gearbox. Car production ceased in 1908, and then, at the outbreak of the war in 1914, Henriod returned to Switzerland with his company and his family. He remained in the car business and was honored in 1925 for his automotive advances.

Fast forward to the year 2002: Roy, a career collector of veteran cars, makes a deal with a French family that has collected a number of veteran cars between the wars. In the deal, Roy lets go of his previous veteran, a 1902 four-seat Barré. He returns to England as the proud owner of the world’s only Henriod.

It is car number 2, built in Switzerland, assembled in France, and bodied by Kellner of Paris, thereby also making it one of the very earliest Kellner-bodied cars in existence. The most amazing thing about this car is its originality; not only has it never been restored, it retains all of its original running gear, right down to its single-candle head- and taillights.

Lovely details include the still visible painted coachlines; the in-period leather wings that were once shining examples of the finest patent leather, and the individually numbered engine parts in phosphor bronze. The wheels are the original wooden artillery type, the front ones measuring 30 inches in diameter and the rear ones 38 inches. And of course it runs on either petrol or alcohol. Roy hopes to have it running on the alcohol fuel at Pebble Beach this year but for the time being, as he says “the car drinks the petrol and I drink the alcohol!”

The air-cooled engine of this time-warp piece of machinery is a horizontally opposed 2-cylinder, twin-valve design that, as Roy says “shouldn’t actually work, but it does.” And it has a completely open crankcase with all the workings in full view. After you swing the starting handle once or twice, the engine comes alive: it is a living, breathing thing that seems simple but is actually quite complicated. First, there is a “distributor”—a carburetor in reality—which distributes by means of suction and gravity the air-fuel mixture, dividing it evenly between the two phosphor-bronze preignition chambers via two atmospheric valves. A simple trembler-type coil provides a spark. Drive is via a clutchless open gearbox with three forward ratios and reverse. To date, Roy is wary of getting out of first gear; in fact, he ran the whole of the 2005 and the 2006 London to Brighton Veteran Car Runs without shifting.

The method of driving is simple—once you have the courage of your convictions! With a slight increase of the two throttle levers, adjusting the mixture and then basically lining up a set of holes in a brass chamber to increase or decrease the flow of fuel, you engage first gear, which then activates a pair of expanding shoes to the final drive before releasing the wooden brake pads from the bronze brake drums—and away you go. I told you it was simple! Parking the car is also delightful: engage the brakes to stop the car and drop the sprag, a pointed bar that digs into the ground to stop you from rolling backwards. Now there’s an idea . . . or maybe not! Once you’re on the move, you need to attend to the oil. Four levers on the dash allow oil to drip on the main bearings and the drive gears, and since this method of lubrication is a total-loss system, you may need more oil than fuel on a long trip.

On last year’s Run, with Roy in true Mr. Toad style at the tiller, or as the French would say, the Vache (literally referring to the steering mechanism’s resemblance to a cow’s tail), the car made a leisurely start. Roy had barely exited London before stopping for a cup of tea with his sister in Croydon. Then, fully refreshed, Roy and his co-driver set off once more on the trip south. Unfortunately, a little further down the road an inlet valve spring decided to make a journey of its own! In keeping with traditions of the movie Genevieve, Roy finally tracked it down. On its mini adventure it had travelled from its proper position on the left side of the engine to the other side in the opposing cylinder. Fortunately no damage was done—a testament to the car’s strength. Sadly, by the time Roy discovered the spring’s whereabouts and returned it to its rightful place, he had run out of time to get to Brighton by the cutoff of 4 pm. So, sadly, the car was taken home to Eastbourne on a trailer. Such is the veteran car owner’s lot!

So to the summer of 2007: At the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance the Henriod is the oldest car on the hallowed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links. It’s probably also the smallest car at the Concours since it is shorter by some margin than today’s environmentally friendly Smart Car. Like the Smart Car, the eco-friendly engine of the Henriod Duc can perhaps teach us a lesson or two about alternatives for a fuel-efficient future.

Copyright © 2007 Pebble Beach Company. Used by permission. All rights reserved.