Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RACING MOTOR CAR. 323 driven by levers, others by pedals. Several relied for their propulsive power upon the weight of the passengers—an arrange- ment which one can conceive as working admirably downhill, but which would seem insufficient under other conditions. High- pressure gas, pendulum, hydrau- lic, electric, and compressed air motors—all were represented, but the greater number of the en- trants relied upon steam or petrol. Some preliminary runs were held as the date of the trials drew near, in order to discover if THE CAR ON WHICH LEVASSOR WON THE PARIS-BORDEAUX RACE, 1895. the cars were really capable of starting upon the trip to Rouen; for the F^siris to Rouen organizers had no wish for a fiasco. Twenty-three cars in all received the official sanction, and of these four- teen were driven by petrol and nine by steam, all those relying on other motive agencies having failed to put in an appearance. The drive to Rouen was full of exciting episodes. Everywhere along the route the crowds thronged the roads, cheering the drivers and throwing bouquets at them—a disconcerting form of compliment which, gave much trouble in the old days. Of the twenty-one starters, seventeen reached the finish, and the four which broke down were all steam cars. Nom- inally, it should be remembered, this was not a race ; but there was, not unnaturally, a good deal of competition in the matter of speed, and the fastest vehicle was the De Dion steam tractor, which towed behind it a Vic- toria with the front part removed. This im- posing machine covered the distance between Paris and Rouen—about 80 miles—at an average speed of 111 miles an hour ; but the first prize was awarded to the Panhard and Peugeot firms equally, as the judges did not consider that the steam car was of the type they wished to encourage, a stoker being necessary as well as a driver, scarce in those days, and there is an amusing story told con- cerning one of the steam cars, Drivers were A Humorous Incident. the stoker of which was at the back of the vehicle, and in communication with the driver by a speaking-tube. All things were appar- ently going smoothly, when suddenly came a message through the tube requesting an im- mediate stoppage. When the car had come to a standstill the stoker got out, and, com- plaining that he was too hot, announced that he intended to have a rest beneath the shade of a tree. The driver argued, expostulated ; the stoker grew angry, and then and there resigned his position, leaving the driver in a quandary, as he could not proceed without skilled help. Fortunately at that moment an- other steam car drove up, and the driver, on hearing of the difficulty, lent a boy of thir- teen, who made an admirable substitute; so the cars were able to proceed on their way to Rouen. This trip was the virtual birth of the motor car, and from it dates the steady and unceas- ing development of the self-propelled vehicle, stimulated as it has been by the races organ-