Top 10 Things You Don’t Know About Peugeot

We can talk about the automobile as we know it today since around 1885. Since then dozens and dozens of vehicle manufacturers have been born, and many have instead closed, others have joined together giving life to large multinationals. Among the many car brands, Peugeot stands out for being among the longest-lived, and among those with a medium/high standard. However, not everyone knows that the French brand was actually born in 1810. Oh yes, because in the beginning what the company dealt with were clothes, indeed taking a step back initially metal utensils, such as coffee and salt and pepper grinders, and then later the brothers Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frederic Peugeot launched into the production of crinolines made in steel. This success led the whole family to devote themselves to the production of bicycles, given their expertise with steel and iron, and almost immediately, Armand Peugeot, grandson of the founder Jean-Pierre, launched the first car in 1889. But the real curiosity linked to the launch of the first Peugeot prototype is that this vehicle, characterized by three wheels (two behind and one forward), which is itself a rather curious thing, will never go on sale.

The Type 7 Peugeot won't say anything to most, but motor racing enthusiasts know well that it is a car that marks the birth of motor sport. Although there is much confusion as to which is the first real car race ever run in history, that of 1894 Paris-Rouen is documented and was won by Albert Lemaitre precisely on the Peugeot type 7. Another small great curiosity linked to this event: the distance of 206 km was covered in "just" six hours and 51 minutes, which in any case already demonstrates from the time that Peugeot vehicles were in excellent condition, for which spare parts can however easily be found online, new or used ( more info here ) , and at different prices.

Among the many curiosities related to this historic French brand that went through various production markets before reaching cars, is that the first stolen car in history (of which we understand documentation), was a Peugeot. It was 1896 in Paris, and Baron Van Zeulen, a wealthy philanthropist, reported the theft of his Peugeot vehicle. In the documents it was written that the car had been stolen by his "trusted" mechanic, and was therefore promptly returned to him. Bugatti is a brand founded by the Italian-French genius Ettore Bugatti, one of those brands that make Italians proud all over the world, together with Ferrari and Maserati, as well as the legendary Vespa. But not everyone knows that a young Bugatti was trained right within Peugeot, the company for which he worked on the design of the Bebe model, which experts say looks a lot like the famous Bugatti sidecar. Peugeot was also the first car manufacturer to apply the convertible top to a model. It is in fact the 1936 Peugeot 402 Eclipse, whose roof mechanism was designed by Georges Pollen, a French dentist, designer and revolutionary.

The new millennium is the year of the electric, and somewhat in general of alternative energies. According to some, humanity moved slightly late, and something more could have been done long ago. Perhaps they will not think so of Peugeot, given that the French company holds the record in the automotive world for having designed and built the first electric car. The idea had already been born at the end of the 19th century, but following the First World War the works were resumed and completed only in 1941. We have said of the company ductility and flexibility that Peugeot has had during its long and glorious life, but it is the quality that distinguishes this brand in all sectors. In fact, another curiosity, no less than ten Peugeot bicycles have won the Tour de France, one of the most prestigious stage cycling races in the world. The French brand based in Paris, but "born" near Sochaux, is also responsible for the first mass-produced car in Europe. In fact, immediately after the Second World War, the company produced over 500 thousand units of the Peugeot 203 model. Peugeot is a brand that has not had great success in F1, but which has a certain feeling with racing. In addition to being the first car to win a race, as mentioned, it also has several successes in rallying behind it. World rally champion several times, as well as successes at Le Mans in the legendary 24 Hours, but also champion in the legendary Indianapolis 500 with driver Jules Gu. In short, a famous brand, recognized and known throughout the world, which has many admirers, and which has contributed to making the automotive world a little more modern, flexible and evolved

---

---

The article Top 10 Things You Don't Know About Peugeot comes from Economic Scenarios .

---

This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/top-10-cose-che-non-conosci-di-peugeot/ on Fri, 23 Dec 2022 14:00:11 +0000.