Paris–Rouen, ''Le Petit Journal'' Horseless Carriages Contest (''Concours du 'Petit Journal' Les Voitures sans Chevaux''), 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 ran from Paris to

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

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

Jules-Albert de Dion Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion de Wandonne (; 9 March 185619 August 1946) was a French pioneer of the automobile industry. He invented a steam-powered car and used it to win the world's first auto race, but his vehicle was ...

, 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 Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

driven by

Albert Lemaître Albert Lemaître (5 February 1864 – 27 July 1912), (aka Georges LemaîtreSome modern anglophone secondary sources (and myriad derivative internet sites) use the name Georges Lemaître, but the leading contemporary French sources of the 1890s– ...

. 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 ('The sons of Peugeot brothers'), with vehicles that were "easy to use".Forix, Autosport, 8W – Welcome to Who? What? Where? When? Why? on the World Wide Web. ''The cradle of motorsport''
Rémi Paolozzi, May 28, 2003
''cent.ans.free.fr''

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" (''Le Petit Journal Concours des Voitures sans Chevaux'') 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 (but not the event) any vehicles needing a travelling mechanic or technical assistant such as a stoker (i.e. steam powered vehicles).19 December 1893 – Announcement
Gallica, Online Archive, ''Le Petit Journal'' ''Le Petit Journal'' announced prize money totalling 10,000

gold franc The gold franc (currency code: XFO) was the unit of account for the Bank for International Settlements from 1930 until April 1, 2003. It was replaced with the special drawing right. It was originally based on the Franc Germinal, and remained a ...

s – 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

One hundred two people paid the ten franc entrance fee. They ranged from practical manufacturers like

Panhard Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks#Military vehicles, Re ...

de Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer, which operated from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux. Ste ...

, and Serpollet to amateur owners and "over-ambitious concepts." Seventy-eight entrants did not show up for qualifying on 18 July, which included some 25 powered by unfamiliar and improbable technologies such as: gravity (nine); compressed air (five); "automatic" (three); electricity (three); gas (three); hydraulics (two); and one each for 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 to 21 July 1894, and was preceded by a public exhibition of 26 cars to

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

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 The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park that is the western half of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by the Em ...

, 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.18 July 1894 – Selection around Paris
Gallica, Online Archive, ''Le Petit Journal''
''www.cc-organisation.com'' 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 Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, f ...

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the department of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' Musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nationa ...

, Flins-sur-Seine,

Poissy Poissy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Inhabitan ...

, Triel-sur-Seine,

Rambouillet Rambouillet (, , ) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is located beyond the outskirts of Paris, southwest of its Kilometr ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, Dampierre-en-Yvelines, Corbeil-Essonnes,

Palaiseau Palaiseau () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Palaiseau is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Palaiseau. Palaiseau was a royal doma ...

, Précy-sur-Oise,

Gennevilliers Gennevilliers () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. History On 9 April 1929, ...

and

L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise L'Isle-Adam () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. The small town beside the river Oise has a long sandy beach and attracts visitors from Paris. Geography L'Isle-Adam is a commune and town in north c ...

. 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 :(Note – ''Le Petit Journal'' does not show an itinerary three, presumably either a misprint or changed plan) *Itinerary four – Paris to

via

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. ::(Sources show three or five vehicles on this route and variance over qualification) *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, (new type) 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.Sat 21 July 1894 – Selection II
Gallica, Online Archive, ''Le Petit Journal'' *Itinerary one – Paris to Mantes-la-Jolie via Bezons, Houilles and

Maisons-Laffitte Maisons-Laffitte () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the northern Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its ...

. **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 (de Bourmont, four seats, petrol) – 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

Courbevoie Courbevoie () is a Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is a suburb of Paris, from the Kilometre zero, center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated from the ci ...

Nanterre Nanterre (; ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, b ...

Chatou Chatou () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Chatou is a part of the affluent suburbs of western Paris and is on the northwest ...

Le Pecq Le Pecq () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. Geography The commune of Le Pecq is located in a loop of the Se ...

, Poissy, Triel-sur-Seine,

Vaux-sur-Seine Vaux-sur-Seine (, literally ''Vaux on Seine'') is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Yvelines department A commune is an alternative term for an intentiona ...

, and

Meulan Meulan-en-Yvelines (, before 2010: ''Meulan'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. It hosted part of the Sailing at the 1900 Su ...

, to

Mantes Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, f ...

where they stopped for lunch from noon until 1:30 pm, whence they set off to Vernon,

Gaillon Gaillon () is a commune in the Eure department in northern France. History The origins of Gaillon are not really known. In 892, Rollo, a Viking chief, might have ravaged Gaillon and the region, before he became the first prince of the Normans ...

Pont-de-l'Arche Pont-de-l'Arche () is a commune in France, commune of the Eure ''département in France, département'' in France. Notable monuments include the parish church of Church of Notre-Dame-des-Arts, Notre-Dame-des-Arts, which was built in the late Flam ...

, and the '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

(

), Auguste Doriot (Peugeot) (16 min 30 sec back), Hippolyte Panhard (

) (33 min 30 sec) and Émile Levassor (Panhard) (55 min 30 sec). The winner's average speed was .Grand Prix History – Organized Racing & The First Grand Prix
1 November 2010 Grand Prix History.org (accessed 11 June 2017)

Prizes

On Tuesday 24 July ''Le Petit Journal'' announced the prizes :Prizes
Gallica, Online Archive, ''Le Petit Journal'' Tuesday 24 July 1894 * First prize, the ''Prix du Petit Journal'' for "the competitor whose car comes closest to the ideal" (5,000 francs) was shared equally between Panhard et Levassor and 'Les fils de Peugeot Frères'. * Second prize, the ''Prix Marinoni'' ( Owner of ''Le Petit Journal'') (2,000 francs) 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'' (1,500 francs) was awarded to Maurice Le Blant for his nine-seater vehicle powered by the 'systeme Serpollet'. * Fourth prize, the ''Prix Marinoni'' (1,000 francs) was shared between two manufacturers, Alfred Vacheron (No. 24) and Le Brun (No. 42). * Fifth prize, the ''Prix Marinoni'' (500 francs) was awarded to Roger (No. 85)

Results for Paris–Rouen

List of entrants

Gallery

Image:Petit_Journal_22_7_1894_Voiture_a_boggie_de_Dion_vapeur_completes_Paris-Rouen.jpg, de Dion-Bouton
steam ''Voiture a

boggie Boglárka Csemer (, born 30 November 1986 in Budapest, Hungary), professionally known as Boggie, is a Hungarian pop vocalist and songwriter. Globally, Boggie is best known for her 2014 hit single entitled "Nouveau Parfum" () from her self-titled ...

''
''Count'' de Dion finished first
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit_Journal_22_7_1894_Gautier_(petrole)_competes_in_Paris-Rouen.jpg, Gautier–Wehrlé
(Steam. mis-labelled image)
Pierre Gautier finished 19th
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit Journal 22 7 1894 Panhard et levassor Phaeton a petrole completes Paris-Rouen.jpg, Panhard et Levassor
'Phaeton a petrole'
Émile Levassor finished 5th
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit_Journal_22_7_1894_Phaeton_Panhard_et_Levassor_petrole_completes_Paris-Rouen.jpg, Panhard et Levassor
petrol Phaeton
Hippolyte Panhard finished 4th
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit_Journal_22_7_1894_Panhard_et_Levassor_Nouveau_type_completes_Paris-Rouen.jpg, Panhard et Levassor
Nouveau type
''Dubois'' finished ninth
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit Journal 22 7 1894 Auguste Doriot completes Paris-Rouen in Peugeot.jpg, Peugeot Type 5 ''Vis a vis''
3 hp
Auguste Doriot finished 3rd
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal'' Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit_Journal_22_7_1894_Phaeton_Peugeot_petrole_completes_Paris-Rouen.jpg, Peugeot Type 5 Phaeton
petrol,
Louis Rigoulot finished 11th
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit_Journal_22_7_1894_Victoria_Peugeot_petrole_completes_Paris-Rouen.jpg, Victoria Peugeot
petrol
Did not qualify
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit Journal 22 7 1894 Serpollet steam voiture completes Paris-Rouen.jpg, Serpollet
steam car
did not finish
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit_Journal_22_7_1894_vapeur_Serpollet_voiture_a_7_places_completes_Paris-Rouen.jpg, Serpollet
steam car with 7 seats
Ernest Archdeacon finished 16th
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894 Image:Petit_Journal_22_7_1894_Voiture_Chastel_et_David_vapeur_Serpollet_competes_in_Paris-Rouen.jpg, Chastel et David Serpollet
steam
did not finish
''Le Petit Journal – Contest for Horseless Carriages'', Paris-Rouen.
'' Le Petit Journal''
Sunday 22 July 1894

Notes

References

Citations

Other sources

External links

CC Organisation – Course Paris-Rouen

driven by Émile Mayade, equipped with "four-poster" draperies.
First Competition of the Vehicles Without Horses

Original photography by R. Girard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris-Rouen (motor race) 1894 establishments in France 1894 in French motorsport 1894 in motorsport Auto races in France Defunct auto racing series Defunct sports competitions in France History of Paris History of Rouen July 1894 Sport in Rouen International sports competitions in Paris