1942 Breguet Type A2 Electrique

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 11, 2017

Photo – Artcurial

Breguet Aviation was, primarily, a manufacturer of aircraft founded by Louis Charles Breguet in 1911. They built planes up until 1971 when they merged with Dassault. However, during World War II, the French were unable to produce automobiles and, despite being at war, there was still some market for them. The major problem was that the Germans weren’t allowing the sale of gasoline.

So there were a couple of enterprising manufacturers (including Peugeot and Pierre Faure) that thought “well then we’ll just build electric cars instead” – and, with limited success, they did. Breguet got in on the action and this aircraft-influenced design (it’s pretty easy to picture it with wings) went on sale in 1941. The motor was powerful enough to scoot the car to 25 mph, though range suffered at such insane speeds, limiting it to a 40 mile range.

The small scale production did not help the high price, which was listed for more than a new Citroen Traction Avant. One of these is known to be in a museum, while the three others (including this one) are still owned by the Breguet family. Last driven in the 1990s, this well-preserved example should bring between $42,350-$63,525. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $44,204.