The Paris–Marseille–Paris race was the first competitive 'city to city' motor race originating in Paris, where the first car across the line was the winner, prior events having selected the winner by various forms of classification and judging. The race was won by Émile Mayade who completed the ten-day, 1,710 km, event over unsurfaced roads in 67 hours driving a Panhard et Levassor.[1] [2] [3] [4]
The event was organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF) and was sometimes retrospectively known as the II Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.. It was run in 10 stages from Paris via Auxerre; Dijon; Lyon; Avignon; Marseille; Avignon; Lyon; Dijon; Sens and return to Paris.
The first competitive 'city to city' motoring event had been the 1894 Paris–Rouen where the Count Jules-Albert de Dion was first into Rouen but steam-powered vehicles were ineligible for the main prize. Likewise, in 1895 the nascent Automobile Club de France) (ACF) organised its first event, the Paris–Bordeaux–Paris race, but excluded two-seater cars such that their official winner, a four-seater, finished 11 hours after Émile Levassor. The outcry resulting from the 1895 result lead the A.C.F. to organise the Paris–Marseille–Paris Trail as the first fully competitive motor race starting in Paris, where the first car across the line was the winner.[1] [4] [5]
On 8 February 1896 the race was announced in La France Automobile, the second edition of the A.C.F.'s official magazine.[6]
The entry list included : seven De Dion-Boutons (5 gasoline-powered tricycles and 2 steam-powered cars); five Bollées (comprising four Léon Bollée tricycles and tandems plus an Amédée Bollée); four Panhard et Levassors; three Peugeots; two Delahayes; two Société Parisiennes and two Triouleyres. There were also single car entries from Fisson; Landry et Beyroux (or poss. Landoy); Lebrun; Rochet-Schneider; Rossel and Tissandier.
On 20 September, the weekend prior to the start of the race, a selection trial (prologue) was run from Paris-Mantes-Paris for bicycles and tricycles of less than 150 kilograms. The eight successful machines were classified as either engine powered or engine and pedal powered. The two self-powered machines were the single seat, petrol-powered 'Wolfmüller' motorcycle (No 31) ridden by D'Ofraiville; and the Hurtu-Léon Bollée tricycle No. 50 of C. Chauveau. The pedal machines (mopeds) were all De Dion-Bouton tricycles ridden by Chevalier (No. 52); Delieuvin (No. 15); Clere (No. 51); Fernand Charron (No. 13); and Comte Laubat Gaston De Chasseloup (No. 14).
The race covered 1,710 km from Paris to Marseilles and return from 24 September-3 October 1896.
The race was scheduled to be run over 10 daily stages without rest days.[1] [8]
| Stage | Date | Length | Itinerary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Sept | 178 km | Paris, Versailles, Corbeil, Melun, Montereau, Sens, Joigny, Auxerre |
| 2 | 25 Sept | 151 km | Auxerre, Vermenton, Avallon, Vitteaux, Dijon |
| 3 | 26 Sept | 198 km | Dijon, Beaune, Chagny, Chalon-sur-Saône, Tournus, Mâcon, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Lyon |
| 4 | 27 Sept | 219 km | Lyon, Vienne, Saint Vallier, Valence, Montelimar, Orange, Avignon |
| 5 | 28 Sept | 101 km | Avignon, Orgon, Sénas, Salon de Provence, Aix en Provence, Marseille |
| 6 | 29 Sept | 101 km | Marseille, Aix en Provence, Salon-de-Provence, Sénas, Orogon, Avignon |
| 7 | 30 Sept | 219 km | Avignon, Orange, Montelimar, Valence, Saint Vallier, Vienne, Lyon |
| 8 | 1 Oct | 198 km | Lyon, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Mâcon, Tournus, Chalon-sur-Saône, Chagny, Beaune, Dijon |
| 9 | 2 Oct | 209 km | Dijon, Vitteaux, Avallon, Vermenton, Auxerre, Joigny, Sens |
| 10 | 3 Oct | 137 km | Sens, Montereau, Melun, Corbeil, Paris (Boulevard Maillot) |
The 32 entrants started the first stage from under the Place de l'Étoile in Paris and raced 177 km to Auxerre where the winner was Lejane who had driven his Bollée at over 31 km/hour. Unfortunately his glory was short lived as he retired the following day. The first of the Panhard et Levassors came to the fore on the second stage from Auxere to Dijon, when Émile Levassor covered the 150.95 km over unsurfaced roads in 6 hours 51 minutes, thus taking the overall lead. Levassor increased his lead by also winning the third stage into Lyon, but his race was ruined when he suffered an accident on the fourth stage into Avignon. Although he persevered until the end of the stage, he then handed over the driving to his riding mechanic Charles d'Hostingue and they continued steadily until the finishing fourth overall in Paris. Levassor would never fully recover from the accident and the stress of driving another 36 hours, and died early in 1897. The stage was won by Merkel driving another one of Émile Levassor's cars. The fifth stage into the halfway point at Marseille was won by Viet riding on a gasoline-powered De Dion tricycle, and he also won the next stage leaving Marseille back to Avignon. In a remarkable piece of symmetry Merkel again won the stage between Avignon and Lyon, a move that started Panhard et Levassor's dominant performance as Emile Mayade dominated the final three stages back to Paris and overall victory. Panhard et Levassor had won seven of the ten stages.
The winning 8 hp Panhard et Levassor of Mayade had been extensively upgraded for 1896, using their first four-cylinder engine, doubling the horsepower from the 1895 model. It was equipped with tiller steering and candle lamps. The brakes were a spoon-lever pressing on the solid rubber back tyre plus a belt that tightened onto a drum on the transmission.[9]
Paris-Marseilles-Paris Trail - 24 September - 3 October 1896 – 1710 km[1]
The overall results were:[1] [8]
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 67:42:58 | Class A1 | ||
| 2 | 8 |  Merkel | 68:11:05 | Class A1 | |
| 3 | 13 | Paul Viet | De Dion-Bouton tricycle | 71:01:05 | Class B |
| 4 | 5 | Émile Levassor Charles d'Hostingue | 71:23:22 | Class A1. Levassor was injured on stage 4 so handed over to d'Hostingue at Avignon. He never recovered and died on 14 April 1897. | |
| 5 | 51 | Collomb | De Dion-Bouton (Michelin)[10] tricycle | 71:30:12 | Class B |
| 6 | 46 | 75:26:24 | Class A2 | ||
| 7 | 41 | 75:29:48 | Class A1 | ||
| 8 | 44 | 81:23:51 | Class A1 | ||
| 9 | 15 | Delieuvin | De Dion-Bouton tricycle | 83:13:16 | Class B |
| 10 | 84:27:02 | Class A1 | |||
| 11 | Guyonnet | 102:41:45 | Class A1 | ||
| 12 | Labouré | 108:39:00 | Class A1 | ||
| 13 | Justin Landry | Landry et Beyroux (M.L.B.) | 119:44:21 | Class A1 | |
| 14 | Party | Léon Bollée tricycle | 141:10:47 | Class C | |
The stage-winners were:[1] [8]
| Stage | Start-Finish | Distance | Winner | Car | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 177.85 km | Lejane | Léon Bollée | 5:34:03 | 31.94 km/h | |
| 2 | 150.95 km | Levassor | Panhard et Levassor | 6:51:40 | 22.15 km/h | |
| 3 | 197.95 km | Levassor | Panhard et Levassor | 7:01:08 | 28.20 km/h | |
| 4 | 218.90 km | Merkel | Panhard et Levassor | 8:19:28 | 26.30 km/h | |
| 5 | 100.90 km | Viet | De Dion-Bouton | 3:18:18 | 30.53 km/h | |
| 6 | Marseille-Avignon | 100.90 km | Viet | De Dion-Bouton | 3:50:28 | 26.27 km/h |
| 7 | Avignon-Lyon | 218.90 km | Merkel | Panhard et Levassor | 9:50:50 | 22.23 km/h |
| 8 | Lyon-Dijon | 197.95 km | Panhard et Levassor | 6:35:50 | 30.01 km/h | |
| 9 | 209.20 km | Panhard et Levassor | 7:04:00 | 29.60 km/h | ||
| 10 | Sens-Paris | 136.50 km | Panhard et Levassor | 5:42:15 | 23.93 km/h | |
Entrants who did not finish :[1] [8]
| Did Not Finish Driver | No. | Car | stages completed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebrun | 5 stages | |||
| P. Dubois | 5 stages | Class A2 | ||
| Ferradje | 2 stages | |||
| Valentin | 2 stages | |||
| 1 stage | ||||
| Lejane | 1 stage | Class C | ||
| Camille Bollée | 1 stage | Class C | ||
| Chevalier | 52 | De Dion-Bouton trike | 1 stage | Class B |
| Louis Rigoulot | 1 stage | |||
| Rossel | 1 stage | |||
| Boiron | De Dion-Bouton trike | 1 stage | Class B | |
| Tissandier | 1 stage | |||
| 1 stage | Class C | |||
| Ferté | 0 stages | |||
| 0 stages | ||||
| Estève | 0 stages | |||
| Tenting | 0 stages | |||
| 14 | 0 stages | Class A2 | ||
| Clere | 51 | De Dion-Bouton tricycle | unknown | |
| 13 | De Dion-Bouton tricycle | unknown | ||
| 50 | De Dion-Bouton tricycle | unknown | ||
| D'Ofraiville | 31 | Wolfmüller Single seat motorcycle | Failed to qualify - Retired in the Paris-Mantes prologue | |
| Collomb | 40 | De Dion-Bouton tricycle | Failed to qualify - retired in the Paris-Mantes prologue due to course error. Entered the main event as No. 51 and finished 5th overall. | |
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