On July 22, 1894, the world’s first-ever automobile race took
place, with 17 of 21 entrants completing the route from Paris
to Rouen, France, covering a distance of 78.3 miles.
The Concours Paris-Rouen—better known as the Paris-
Rouen Trial—paved the way not only for Le Mans, the
Indianapolis 500, and all the car races to come, but also
heralded the dawn of the motor age by showcasing the
automobile’s reliability.
The first-place prize of 5,000 francs—a value of around
$40,000 today—was shared equally between the French
manufacturers Panhard & Levassor and Les Fils de
Peugeot frères for hewing closest to the competition’s
ideals.
The real winner of the Paris-Rouen Trial, however, was
the automotive industry itself.
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