1894 paris-rouen - count albert de dion (de dion-bouton steam tractor) finished 1st, ruled ineligible for prize

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 run from Paris to

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population o ...

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 Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and then ...

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 ("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'' by Rémi Paolozzi, May 28, 2003
/ref>
/ref>

1894 – Paris to Rouen

Pierre Giffard, Editor of Le Velo, circa 1900

1894 paris-rouen - auguste doriot (peugeot 3hp) 3rd

1894 paris-rouen - kraeutler (peugeot 3hp) 6th v2

1894 paris-rouen - michaud (peugeot phaeton 3hp) 9th v2

1894 Paris-Rouen - Gratien Michaux in Mantes ( 30 peugeot phaeton 3hp) 9th

1894 Paris-Rouen Serpollet Steamer No 44 DNF -Leon is 3rd from left-

Organisation

In 1894,

Pierre Giffard Pierre Giffard (1 May 1853 – 21 January 1922) was a French journalist, a pioneer of modern political reporting, a newspaper publisher and a prolific sports organiser. In 1892, he was appointed ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of the Légion d'Honneur and ...

, 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.)Gallica, Online Archive, ''Le Petit Journal'' 19 December 1893 – Announcement
/ref> ''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

:''See full list of 102 entrants'' 102 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 Defense, was formed ...

de Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating 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. Steam cars ...

, and

Serpollet Gardner-Serpollet was a French manufacturer of steam-powered cars in the early 20th century. Léon Serpollet is credited with inventing and perfecting the flash boiler in the late 1800s.

Qualifying

Qualifying was held from 19–21 July 1894, and was preceded by a public exhibition of 26 cars to

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residential ...

on 18 July. Journalists reported great crowds and excitement throughout the routes, and at

Précy-sur-Oise Précy-sur-Oise (, literally ''Précy on Oise'') is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. See also * Communes of the Oise department The following is a list of the 679 communes of the Oise department of France. The communes ...

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 located along the western edge 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 t ...

, 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.Gallica, Online Archive, ''Le Petit Journal'' 18 July 1894 – Selection around Paris
/ref>
/ref> 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 commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, from the centre of the capital. Mantes-la-Jolie is a subpre ...

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 ''département'' of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the ''musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Natio ...

Flins-sur-Seine Flins-sur-Seine () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.Poissy Poissy () 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 centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Pisciacais'' in French. Poissy is one of ...

, Triel-sur-Seine,

Rambouillet Rambouillet (, , ) is a subprefecture of the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of France. It is located beyond the outskirts of Paris, southwest of its centre. In 2018, the commune had a population of 26,933. Rambouillet li ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

Dampierre-en-Yvelines Dampierre-en-Yvelines is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. The Castle of Dampierre-en-Yvelines One of the main features of the commune is the prominently featured castle, or Chateau, ...

Corbeil-Essonnes Corbeil-Essonnes () on the River Seine is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Although neighboring Évry is the official seat of the Arrondissement of Évry, the sub-prefecture buildin ...

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. Inhabitants of Palaiseau ar ...

Gennevilliers Gennevilliers () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2017, it had a population of 46,907. History On 9 April 1929, one-fifth of th ...

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 The Porte Maillot (also known as the porte Mahiaulx, Mahiau or Mahiot after a Paille-maille court, or the Porte de Neuilly Alfred Fierro, ''Histoire et dictionnaire de Paris'', Robert Laffont, 1580 pages, 1996 ; page 848 : "the porte de Neuill ...

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 Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning rest ...

, 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

: **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

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,

, five seats, petrol – qualified On Friday 20 July a second qualifying event was run over two routes.Gallica, Online Archive, ''Le Petit Journal'' Sat 21 July 1894 – Selection II
/ref> *Itinerary one – Paris to Mantes-la-Jolie via Bezons,

Houilles Houilles () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is a northwestern suburb of Paris, located from the center of Paris. History Until 2000, the command post of French Navy's Ballis ...

and

Maisons-Laffitte Maisons-Laffitte () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the northern Île-de-France region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its centre. In 2018, it had a population of 23,611. Maisons-Laf ...

. **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 commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is in the suburbs of the city of Paris, from the center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated from the city limits of Pari ...

Nanterre Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. 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, bordering t ...

Chatou Chatou () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Chatou is a part of the affluent suburbs of western Paris and is on the northwest side of the Seine river about from the city's center. Hist ...

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 Sei ...

, Poissy, Triel-sur-Seine, Vaux-sur-Seine, and

Meulan Meulan-en-Yvelines (; formerly just ''Meulan'') is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It hosted part of the sailing events for the 1900 Summer Olympics held in neighboring Paris, and would ...

, to

Mantes Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, from the centre of the capital. Mantes-la-Jolie is a subpre ...

where they stopped for lunch from 12:00 pm until 1:30 pm, whence they set off to Vernon, Gaillon,

Pont-de-l'Arche Pont-de-l'Arche () is a commune of the Eure ''département'' in France. Notable monuments include the parish church of Notre-Dame-des-Arts, which was built in the late Flamboyant style. Population See also *Communes of the Eure department ...

, 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 Albert Lemaître (

Auguste Doriot Auguste Frédéric Doriot (24 October 1863 – 1955) was a French motoring pioneer who developed, built and raced cars for Peugeot before founding his own manufacturing company D.F.P. in combination with Ludovic Flandrin and the Parant brothers. ...

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

) (33 min 30 sec) and

Émile Levassor Émile Constant Levassor (21 January 1843 – 14 April 1897) was a French engineer and a pioneer of the automobile industry and car racing in France. Biography Levassor was born in Marolles-en-Hurepoix. After studying engineering and graduat ...

(Panhard) (55 min 30 sec). The winner's average speed was .

Prizes

On Tuesday 24 July ''Le Petit Journal'' announced the prizes :Gallica, Online Archive, ''Le Petit Journal'' Tuesday 24 July 1894 – Prizes
/ref> * 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

Table sources.Gallica, Online Archive of France. 22 July 1894. ''Le Petit Journal''
/ref>Gallica, Online Archive of France. Mon 23 July 1894. ''Le Petit Journal'' – Race report.
/ref>Richard J. Evans: Steam Cars (Shire Album), Shire Publications Ltd (1985) , p. 15''The Early History of Motoring''
by Claude Johnson, extracted by Graces Guide Provisional results

List of entrants

Notes

References

Other sources

Gallery

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

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:1894 Paris-Rouen Auto races in France Defunct auto racing series 1894 in sports 1894 in French motorsport 1894 establishments in France History of Paris Sports competitions in Paris History of Rouen Sport in Rouen July 1894 sports events Defunct sports competitions in France