It may not be the most gorgeous or powerful car ever assembled by man, but the French-built "De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos Steam Runabout" fetched a whopping $4.6 million during an auction held Friday in Hershey, Pa.

Informally known as "La Marquise," the steam-powered car carries the distinction as the oldest running vehicle in the world, according to RM Auctions officials, and was previously owned by Texas vintage car collector John O'Quinn.

RM Auctions said on its release that the four-wheeled De Dion-Bouton was manufactured exclusively for the French Count De Dion, a founding member of the carmaker that built the vehicle in 1884.

The car's nickname, according to RM Auctions, was taken after the original owner's mother, after which only four individuals claimed ownership of the vehicle in a span of 127 years.

La Marquise, RM Auctions said, remains in good running condition and still achieves a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour, making it as "unquestionably and quite simply one of the most important motor cars in the world."

"With impeccable provenance, fully documented history, and the certainty that this is the oldest running family car in the world, 'La Marquise' represents an unrepeatable opportunity for the most discriminating collector," Agence France-Press quoted RM Auctions' catalogue as saying.

Auction officials refused to divulge the name of the car's new owner, whose payment of $4.6 million represented a 100 percent climb from the estimates that La Marquise was tagged before sale.

The auction house also noted that the price tag was inclusive of a 10 percent buyer's premium that will serve as RM Auctions' share of the proceeds.