When an automaker wants to tout the performance of its high-end models today, it would likely take a trip to the Nürburgring for a lap record attempt. It was a completely different story during the industry’s early days in the 19th century and there were very few cars on the road. Anything and anywhere with an audience could be an opportunity for publicity. In 1891, Peugeot entered its Type 3 into Paris-Brest-Paris, a 745-mile bicycle race. The event’s monumental scale garnered a similar-sized audience that the fledgling automaker couldn’t ignore. However, Peugeot might have underestimated the race’s difficulty.
Paris-Brest-Paris was organized by Le Petit Journal, the French capital’s largest newspaper. The event’s grueling nature was highlighted by its length as the world’s longest bicycle and its symbolic midpoint. For comparison, the 300-mile Milan-San Remo is the longest one-day race in modern pro cycling. As fervor swelled, Paris-Brest-Paris attracted over 400 entries and garnered the nickname “La Course Nationale” or the National Race. On race day, 207 competitors felt brave enough to take the start and pedal towards Brest. The city is located near the tip of Brittany, on the Atlantic Ocean, at the western edge of France.
Armand Peugeot convinced Pierre Giffard, the newspaper’s editor, to allow the entry of his company’s latest model, the Type 3. The two-seater weighed 1,100 pounds and was powered by a Daimler 565cc V-twin engine that produced 2.5 horsepower. According to Peugeot, the Type 3 could reach a top speed of 11 miles per hour and featured a chain drive. Armand might have been eager to have his car compete because he wouldn’t be behind the wheel for the odyssey. The Type 3 would be driven by Louis Rigoulot, Peugeot’s chief engineer, and factory foreman Auguste Doriot.
Peugeot finished six days behind, but it was still a success
Paris-Brest-Paris is most well-known for being Michelin’s founding triumph. Charles Terront won the race in 71 hours and 22 minutes. The race’s decisive moment was when Terront passed his Dunlop-backed rival during the third night. The French champion took a detour around the hotel where his rival was sleeping so the Dunlop team couldn’t spot him and wake up its rider to give chase. Terront’s victory was primarily credited to Édouard Michelin’s prototype removable pneumatic tires, which were faster and easier to repair than the solid rubber tires used by most of his rivals.
The Peugeot Type 3 didn’t have the smoothest race. According to L’Aventure, Rigoulot and Doriot suffered a transmission issue in a village roughly 40 miles outside of Brest. The duo borrowed tools from a farrier to fix the issue, but the repair took 24 hours. They departed Brest around the same time that Terront crossed the finish line back in Paris. The Type 3 would trundle back into the City of Light six days later. Despite coming home behind all 99 finishers on bicycles, it was seen as a success for an early automobile just to complete the journey.
The success of Paris-Brest-Paris as a whole encouraged Le Petit Journal to organize the first car race three years later. The promotional stunt worked out well for Peugeot, considering that it’s still an automaker today. The French manufacturing giant had been around since the 18th century, but Armand branched the family’s enterprise into transportation. He began building bicycles in 1882 and then cars in 1886.
Peugeot would return to bicycle racing in a more competitive capacity, launching a factory team in 1901. Peugeot eventually became the most successful cycling team of all time, winning the Tour de France nine times before the team’s dissolution in 1986.
