Peugeot Type 3
| Industry | Automobile manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1889 |
| Founder | Armand Peugeot |
| Products | Automobiles |
Background
In 1889, Peugeot initiated its journey with steam-driven tricycles developed in collaboration with Léon Serpollet. The following year, founder Armand Peugeot engaged with pioneering figures Gottlieb Daimler and Émile Levassor, concluding that effective automobiles required four wheels and petrol engines. Peugeot's initial petrol-powered vehicle was the Type 2. Meanwhile, Serpollet pursued advancements in steam technology through Gardner-Serpollet until his passing in 1907.
Performance
The engine powering the Type 3 was a licensed German creation by Daimler, manufactured for Peugeot by Panhard et Levassor. This unit was a 15° V-twin producing 2 bhp, allowing the vehicle to reach an estimated top speed of .
World record
To showcase the reliability of the Type 3, Peugeot entered one model alongside cyclists in the first-ever Paris–Brest–Paris event held in September 1891. Chief engineer Louis Rigoulot and foreman Auguste Doriot completed a round trip from Valentigney to Paris and back, maintaining an average speed of , without significant difficulties. This achievement established a new distance benchmark for petrol-powered vehicles, surpassing Serpollet’s previous record by four times. This demonstration car became Peugeot’s inaugural automobile offered for public sale.
A later, lighter version of the Type 3 secured second place in the June 1895 Paris–Bordeaux–Paris competition, recording an average speed of .
Italian production
Starting in 1891, Costruzioni Meccaniche di Saronno located in Varese, Italy, commenced assembling Type 3 automobiles under license from Peugeot.