A 1926 Chenard Senechal Z2 'Torpille' is to be auctioned at the Shannons Melbourne Classic sale on 5 May. It is estimated to fetch $22,000 (£12,300).
Just 30 examples of the 1500cc Z2 model are thought to exist worldwide, with Shannons' car being the only one in Australia.
The vendor first saw the car when he was aged just 17, falling in love with it straight away. He promptly bought the car and undertook a mechanical restoration before parting with it after just 18 months.
However, he soon realised that he had made a mistake, and the car's rarity lured him in once again. He purchased it again when in his 30s, this time completing a full restoration and conversion to 12V electrics.
Finished with an attractive Australian-built boat-tail body, the Chenard Senechal is equipped with four-wheel disc brakes and a four-speed 'crash' gearbox.
The car was the result of a partnership between Chenard et Walcker of France and racing driver Robert Senechal. Production only lasted from 1925 to 1927 before it is thought that the relationship turned sour.
Chenard et Walcker holds an important place in motor sport history, having won the very first 24 Heures du Mans in 1923. A year later its cars would take third and fourth positions at the same event, while a tank-bodied 1100cc example won its class in 1925.
