Paris–Rouen (motor race)


Paris–Rouen, Le Petit Journal Horseless Carriages Contest, was a pioneering city-to-city motoring competition in 1894 which is sometimes described as the world's first competitive motor race.
The contest was organised by the newspaper Le Petit Journal and run from Paris to Rouen in France on 22 July 1894. It was preceded by four days of vehicle exhibition and qualifying events that created great crowds and excitement. The eight qualifying events started near the Bois de Boulogne and comprised interwoven routes around Paris to select the entrants for the main event.
The first driver across the finishing line at Rouen was "le Comte de Dion" but he did not win the main prize because his steam vehicle needed a stoker and was thus ineligible. The fastest petrol powered car was a Peugeot driven by Albert Lemaître. The premier prize, the 5,000 franc Prix du Petit Journal, for 'the competitor whose car comes closest to the ideal' was shared equally by manufacturers Panhard et Levassor and Les fils de Peugeot frères, with vehicles that were 'easy to use'.

1894 – Paris to Rouen

Organisation

In 1894, Pierre Giffard, editor of Le Petit Journal, organised the world's first motoring competition from Paris to Rouen to publicise his newspaper, to stimulate interest in motoring and to develop French motor manufacturing. Sporting events were a tried and tested form of publicity stunt and circulation booster. The paper promoted it as "Le Petit Journal Competition for Horseless Carriages" that were "not dangerous, easy to drive, and cheap during the journey", the main prize being for "the competitor whose car comes closest to the ideal". The "easy to drive" clause effectively precluded from the prizes any vehicles needing a travelling mechanic or technical assistant such as a stoker.
Le Petit Journal announced prize money totalling 10,000 gold francs – 5,000 for first place, 2,000 for second, 1,500 for third; 1,000 for fourth, and 500 for fifth. The main prize was for the first eligible vehicle across the finish line in Rouen.

Entrants

102 people paid the ten franc entrance fee. They ranged from practical manufacturers like Peugeot, Panhard, de Dion-Bouton, and Serpollet to amateur owners and 'over-ambitious concepts'. 78 entrants did not show up for qualifying on 18 July, these included some 25 powered by unfamiliar and improbable technologies such as "gravity" – nine; "compressed air" – five; "automatic" – three; electricity – three; gas – three; hydraulics – two; liquid, pedals, propellers, and levers. Additionally, 19 petrol-powered designs and 26 steam-powered cars, quadricycles, and tricycles did not show up at the qualifying event.

Qualifying

Qualifying was held from 19–21 July 1894, and was preceded by a public exhibition of 26 cars to Neuilly-sur-Seine on 18 July. Journalists reported great crowds and excitement throughout the routes, and at Précy-sur-Oise they finished through a triumphal arch. On 19 July, 26 cars lined the side of the Boulevard Maillot, stretching to the Bois de Boulogne, each parked apart until, at 8:00 am, the first car led off, followed at 15-second intervals by the others. The qualifying event had to be completed in under three hours to be eligible to start the main event, the race from Paris to Rouen; 21 were selected for the main event.
Qualifying was used as a major publicity tool for both the event and the newspaper for our readers who want to see the cars on the roads around Paris. The 22 vehicles were split into five groups who completed complex interwoven tours of Paris and its environs, including Mantes-la-Jolie, Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Flins-sur-Seine, Poissy, Triel-sur-Seine, Rambouillet, Versailles, Dampierre-en-Yvelines, Corbeil-Essonnes, Palaiseau, Précy-sur-Oise, Gennevilliers and L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise. The groups were carefully balanced to ensure each included petrol and steam, a Peugeot, a Panhard & Levassor, and different seating. Le Petit Journal, on the morning of the event, still officially expected Lemoigne and his gravity-powered vehicle to participate, although he was included as an additional member of group five.
The groups that set off from Porte Maillot on Thursday 19 July were:
  • Itinerary one – Paris to Mantes-la-Jolie via Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Flins-sur-Seine:
  • *No. 3 de Dion, Bouton et Cie, break, six seats, steam. – Did not qualify for Paris-Rouen.
  • *No. 13 Panhard et Levassor, four seats, petrol – qualified
  • *No. 21 Letar, four seats, steam – did not qualify
  • *No. 30 Les fils de Peugeot frères, three seats, petrol – qualified
  • Itinerary two – Paris to Mantes-la-Jolie via Poissy and Triel-sur-Seine:
  • *No. 10 Scotte, 8–10 seats, steam – qualified
  • *No. 15 Panhard et Levassor, two seats, petrol – qualified
  • *No. 25 Coqatrix, four seats, steam – qualified
  • *No. 28 Les fils de Peugeot frères, four seats, petrol – qualified
  • *No. 44 de Prandieres, six seats, system Serpollet and petrol combined – qualified
  • Itinerary four – Paris to Rambouillet via Versailles and Dampierre-en-Yvelines:
  • *No. 7 Gautier, four seats, steam – qualified
  • *No. 18 Archdeacon, six or seven seats, steam – qualified
  • *No. 19 Le Blant, eight to ten seats, steam – qualified
  • *No. 42 Le Brun, four seats, petrol – qualified
  • Itinerary five – Paris to Corbeil-Essonnes via Versailles and Palaiseau:
  • *No. 4 de Dion, Victoria, four people, steam – qualified
  • *No. 16 Quantin, six seats, petrol – did not qualify
  • *No. 27 Les fils de Peugeot frères, two seats, petrol – qualified
  • *No. 29 Les fils de Peugeot frères, four seats, petrol – did not qualify
  • *No. 40 Lemoigne, four seats, 'gravity powered'. Note – did not show or was eliminated.
  • Itinerary six – Paris to Précy-sur-Oise via Gennevilliers and L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise:
  • *No. 12 Tenting, four seats, petrol. Note – did not qualify for Paris-Rouen.
  • *No. 14 Panhard et Levassor, four seats, petrol – qualified
  • *No. 24 Alfred Vacheron, two seats, petrol – did not qualify until Saturday 21st
  • *No. 31 Les fils de Peugeot frères, break, five seats, petrol – qualified
On Friday 20 July a second qualifying event was run over two routes.
  • Itinerary one – Paris to Mantes-la-Jolie via Bezons, Houilles and Maisons-Laffitte.
  • *No. 44 de Prandieres, six seats, system Serpollet and petrol combined – qualified
  • *No. 60 Le Blant, Serpollet, nine seats, steam – qualified
  • *No. 64 Émile Mayade, Panhard et Levassor, four seats, petrol – qualified
  • *No. 65 Albert Lemaître, Les fils de Peugeot frères, four seats, petrol – qualified
  • Itinerary two – Paris to Corbeil-Essonnes
  • *No. 61 Roger de Montais, De Montais, two seat tricycle, petrol – qualified
  • *No. 85 Émile Roger, Benz, two seats, petrol – qualified
On Saturday 21 July a third qualifying event was run from Paris to Poissy.
  • *No. 53 de Bourmont – qualified
  • *No. 24 Alfred Vacheron, two seats, petrol – qualified

    Race

At 8:00 am on Sunday 22 July, twenty-one qualifiers started from Porte Maillot and went via the Bois de Boulogne, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Courbevoie, Nanterre, Chatou, Le Pecq, Poissy, Triel-sur-Seine, Vaux-sur-Seine, and Meulan, to Mantes where they stopped for lunch from 12:00 pm until 1:30 pm, whence they set off to Vernon, Eure, Gaillon, Pont-de-l'Arche, and 'Champ de Mars' at Rouen.
Count de Dion was the first to arrive in Rouen after 6 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of. He finished 3 min 30 sec ahead of Albert Lemaître, Auguste Doriot , Hippolyte Panhard and Émile Levassor . The winner's average speed was.

Prizes

On Tuesday 24 July Le Petit Journal announced the prizes :
  • First prize, the Prix du Petit Journal for "the competitor whose car comes closest to the ideal" was shared equally between Panhard et Levassor and 'Les fils de Peugeot Frères'.
  • Second prize, the Prix Marinoni was awarded to de Dion, Bouton et Cie for their "interesting steam tractor that works like a horse and gives both absolute speed and pulling power up hills".
  • Third prize, the Prix Marinoni was awarded to Maurice Le Blant for his nine-seater vehicle powered by the 'systeme Serpollet'.
  • Fourth prize, the Prix Marinoni was shared between two manufacturers, Alfred Vacheron and Le Brun.
  • Fifth prize, the Prix Marinoni was awarded to Roger

    Results for Paris-Rouen

Table sources.

List of entrants

ResultNo.Entrant
manufacturer		CitySeatsEngine type
No show1RousseletParis4gravity
No show2Edouard PellorceNeuilly-sur-Seinepetrol
Did not qualify3De Dion-Bouton et C°Puteaux4steam
Started4De Dion-Bouton et C°Puteaux6steam
No show5Le MaitreParis4steam
No show6RoussatParis4hydraulic
Started7Gautier PParis4steam
No show8HidienChâteauroux4steam
No show9Victor PoppParis4air compressor
Started10Scott JÉpernay8steam
No show11Klaus ThLyon4petrol
Did not qualify12TentingParis4petrol
Started13Panhard & LevassorParis4petrol
Started14Panhard & LevassorParis4petrol
Started15Panhard & LevassorParis4petrol
No show16QuantioRoubaix6petrol
No show17Rodier, Roche et SabatierBagnols-sur-Cèzepetrol
Started18Archdeacon M E
Paris7petrol
Started19Le BlantParis10steam
No show20Paraire GChâteau-Thierrysteam
No show21Letar AlexandreParis4steam
No show22GaillardetPetit Gennevilliers4steam
No show23VarennesParis3steam
Started24Vacheron AlfredMonthermé2petrol
No show25CoquatrixParis4steam
No show26LevalParis4baricycle?
Started27Peugeot Fils et frèresValentigney4petrol
Started28Peugeot Fils et frèresValentigney4petrol
Did not qualify29Peugeot Fils et frèresValentigney4petrol
Started30Peugeot Fils et frèresValentigney4petrol
Started31Peugeot Fils et frèresValentigney4petrol
No show32Darras LBruaytricyclesteam
No show33Geoffroy M Psteam
No show34Geoffroy M Psteam
No show35Geoffroy M Psteam
No show36Gillot JulesMaubeuge4petrol
No show37Loubiere AlbertLa Ferté-sous-Jouarre6gravity
No show38Duchemin AParis4
No show39PonsotParis4Oil?
No show40Lemoigne LouisFougères4gravity
No show41BargogliParis4petrol
Started42Le Brun ARouen4petrol
No show43SpanogheAntwerp, Belgium6steam
Started44de Prandieres MLyon6Serpollet steam
No show45CornequetParis8automatic
No show46Matin-Cudrez FParis2steam
No show47Barthelemy CesarYèbles3gravity
No show48LeblancAy, Marne6steam
No show49Valentin J MBruyères3gravity
No show50WersteinParis3pedals
ResultNo.EntrantCitySeatsEngine type
No show51LepapeParis4petrol
No show52Société Parisienne de
constructions Velo		Paris4air compressor
Started53de Bourmont MArcachon4petrol
No show54Froger ElieFeneu4petrol
No show55De Dion-Bouton et C°Puteaux4petrol
No show56Lebrun MRoches-Bettaincourt4automatic
No show57Seunier M4petrol
No show58Barbier et MarcilletParis3steam
No show59BezamatColombes4steam
Started60Le Blant MauriceParis9steam
Started61de Montais RogerBeauvroit2petrol
No show62MallarmeGentillysteam
No show63Tissandier et LacombeAgenpetrol
Started64Panhard & LevassorParispetrol
Started65Peugeot Fils et frèresValentigney4petrol
No show66Museur L et Cordonnier EMasnières4steam
No show67LebesgueParispetrol
No show68Garnier E et Delannoy GBeauvois4combination
No show69de Malapert et BarriereParis4liquid
No show70Fays – PoissonGigny6gravity
No show71Klaus ThLyon2 tricyclepetrol
No show72Tamarelle – CapeyronBergerac5steam
No show73PretotParis4petrol
No show74Mayer RaoulChevanceaux2 quadracyclesteam
No show75Dessaux CharlesParis2 tricyclegravity
No show76Tirant GeorgesBaissysteam
No show77ReverseauParis4automatic
No show78BerthaudLyon8air compressor
No show79Baudet AParis4steam
No show80QuantinBoulogne6steam
No show81BecherelParis2 tricyclesteam
No show82MongesParis4electric
No show83SuodaisFontenay6electric
No show84PlantardParis4air compressor
Started85RogerParis2petrol
No show86Garrard
Garrard & Blumfield		Birmingham
Great Britain		electric
No show87Landry & Beyroux G4petrol
No show88JeantaudParis3petrol
No show89DemontParis4steam
No show90MansartBeauvais4gravity
No show91Carli le comteItaly2electric
No show92de FarcyAngers2petrol
No show93GantryOrléans2gas
No show94Morelleras HAngoulêmegravity
No show95Roze – AndrillonMarseille4air compressor
No show96CanisMaulan4propeller
No show97Deutsch MGermany2petrol
No show98Deutsch MGermany2petrol
No show99BonnefilsValence2petrol
No show100BellangerLe Mans4system
No show101Mary JeanParis4gas
No show102Barriquand M4hydraulic
ResultNo.EntrantCitySeatsEngine type

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