The Cottereau, one of the oldest firms in the French car manufactory history, produced their first car in 1898 in Digione.
The Model Populaire was fitted with a single-cylinder engine, 3-speed gearbox (the reverse gear was an optional!), rear brakes only and wooden wire wheels.
It had a double transmission chain and a drop-feed lubrication which was adjusted by the manual oil batcher near the steering wheel.
The lacking of the windscreen, as it was usual in these pioneering years, forced the passengers to wear goggles, fur coats…
The car shown in the Museum, probably the last survivor of the model, won in 1979 the “International Grand Prix of Restoration and Preservation” and was the model for the bronze sculpture at the museum entrance, made by the artist Annachiara Spellini.