Which is the oldest marque of all?

Having owned 14 Citroëns over the years, I was delighted to see the centenary of this noble marque celebrated ( CCW, 17 April). More than 20 ‘new’ marques saw the light of day post-Versailles in 1919, but of that cohort only Citroën and Bentley are still extant. Most sharing this 1919 inception date were crude ‘cyclecars’ – cheap confections aimed at returning heroes from World War One – but other noble marques also emerged including Armstrong Siddeley, AngusSanderson, Guy and Voisin, the latter, ironically, inheriting its Knight double sleeve-valve engine from André Citroën, who subsequently elected for more conventional valve gear in his production cars!

But which is the oldest marque still extant? As both Daimler and Benz are no longer with us, I’d put my money on Peugeot, but await correction from your more erudite readers…

❚ Professor A Peter Fawcett, Sheffield We’d suggest that it’s Peugeot, as you don’t specify whether said marque’s existence has to include making cars. In that case, the manufacturer dates back to 1810, when it made coffee grinders – Ed.