Peugeot Once Entered A Car Into A Bicycle Race, Then Lost By 6 Days

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When an automaker wants to tout nan capacity of its high-end models today, it would apt take a travel to nan Nürburgring for a thigh grounds attempt. It was a wholly different communicative during nan industry's early days successful nan 19th period and location were very fewer cars connected nan road. Anything and anyplace pinch an assemblage could beryllium an opportunity for publicity. In 1891, Peugeot entered its Type 3 into Paris-Brest-Paris, a 745-mile bicycle race. The event's monumental standard garnered a similar-sized assemblage that nan fledgling automaker couldn't ignore. However, Peugeot mightiness person underestimated nan race's difficulty.

Paris-Brest-Paris was organized by Le Petit Journal, nan French capital's largest newspaper. The event's grueling quality was highlighted by its magnitude arsenic nan world's longest bicycle and its symbolic midpoint. For comparison, nan 300-mile Milan-San Remo is nan longest one-day title successful modern pro cycling. As fervor swelled, Paris-Brest-Paris attracted complete 400 entries and garnered nan nickname "La Course Nationale" aliases nan National Race. On title day, 207 competitors felt brave capable to return nan commencement and pedal towards Brest. The metropolis is located adjacent nan extremity of Brittany, connected nan Atlantic Ocean, astatine nan occidental separator of France.

Armand Peugeot convinced Pierre Giffard, nan newspaper's editor, to let nan introduction of his company's latest model, nan Type 3. The two-seater weighed 1,100 pounds and was powered by a Daimler 565cc V-twin motor that produced 2.5 horsepower. According to Peugeot, nan Type 3 could scope a apical velocity of 11 miles per hr and featured a concatenation drive. Armand mightiness person been eager to person his car compete because he wouldn't beryllium down nan instrumentality for nan odyssey. The Type 3 would beryllium driven by Louis Rigoulot, Peugeot's main engineer, and mill foreman Auguste Doriot.

La Vie au Grand Air / Gallica

Paris-Brest-Paris is astir well-known for being Michelin's founding triumph. Charles Terront won nan title successful 71 hours and 22 minutes. The race's decisive infinitesimal was erstwhile Terront passed his Dunlop-backed rival during nan 3rd night. The French champion took a detour astir nan edifice wherever his rival was sleeping truthful nan Dunlop squad couldn't spot him and aftermath up its rider to springiness chase. Terront's triumph was chiefly credited to Édouard Michelin's prototype removable pneumatic tires, which were faster and easier to repair than nan coagulated rubber tires utilized by astir of his rivals.

The Peugeot Type 3 didn't person nan smoothest race. According to L'Aventure, Rigoulot and Doriot suffered a transmission rumor successful a colony astir 40 miles extracurricular of Brest. The duo borrowed devices from a farrier to hole nan issue, but nan repair took 24 hours. They departed Brest astir nan aforesaid clip that Terront crossed nan decorativeness statement backmost successful Paris. The Type 3 would trundle backmost into nan City of Light six days later. Despite coming location down each 99 finishers connected bicycles, it was seen arsenic a occurrence for an early automobile conscionable to complete nan journey.

The occurrence of Paris-Brest-Paris arsenic a full encouraged Le Petit Journal to organize nan first car title 3 years later. The promotional stunt worked retired good for Peugeot, considering that it's still an automaker today. The French manufacturing elephantine had been astir since nan 18th century, but Armand branched nan family's endeavor into transportation. He began building bicycles successful 1882 and past cars successful 1886. 

Peugeot would return to bicycle racing successful a much competitory capacity, launching a mill squad successful 1901. Peugeot yet became nan astir successful cycling squad of each time, winning nan Tour de France 9 times earlier nan team's dissolution successful 1986.