The Peugeot Type 2 is the first petrol/gasoline-powered motor vehicle produced between 1890 and 1891 by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

auto-maker

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...

at their

Valentigney Valentigney () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Valentigney is best known as the place where Peugeot began operations; several members of the Peugeot family still live in the area. D ...

plant. The car was presented just two years after

Armand Peugeot Armand Peugeot (; 18 February 1849 – 4 February 1915) was an industrialist in France, pioneer of the automobile industry and the man who transformed Peugeot into a manufacturer of bicycles and, later, of automobiles. He was accepted into the Au ...

had split away from the Peugeot family business in order to concentrate on cars, with a separate Peugeot Automobiles business.

History

In 1889

attended that year's Paris Universal Exhibition, where he was demonstrating four of his

Peugeot Type 1 The Serpollet Tricycle/Peugeot Type 1 is a small steam tricycle, produced by Peugeot in 1886. It is the first Peugeot car ever made. The Serpollet Tricycle was one of the first industrially manufactured motor vehicles; it was designed by Léon ...

prototypes, which were powered by steam engines (from

Léon Serpollet Léon Serpollet (4 October 1858 – 1 February 1907) was a French engineer and developer of flash steam boilers and steam automobiles. Léon Serpollet was born in Culoz, in the Ain department of France in 1859, son of the carpenter Auguste ...

). The Type 1 received a tepid reception, and Peugeot was already aware of the limitations arising from the vibration profile and sheer weight of a steam engine in this type of car-sized powered vehicle. The visit to the exhibition was not wasted, however, as he also came across the revolutionary invention of

Gottlieb Daimler Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (; 17 March 1834 – 6 March 1900) was a German engineer, industrial designer and industrialist born in Schorndorf (Kingdom of Württemberg, a federal state of the German Confederation), in what is now Germany. He was a ...

, a reciprocating combustion engine powered by petrol/gasoline. As soon as the exhibition was over Daimler arranged for his engine to be assembled in France by

Panhard et Levassor Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed b ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and came to an agreement with Peugeot for its use in a new quadricycle. Peugeot was also able to negotiate with the widow of Edouard Sarazin. Sarazin's acquisition, before he died, of the rights to manufacture the Daimler combustion engine in France, made his widow, Louise, a key figure in the early life of the motor industry in France, which would be the world's top auto producing nation till out-produced by the United States in 1906. S. Bellu (1998), ''L'éveil d'une industrie'', p. 18. Approximately a year after Armand Peugeot's eventful visit to Paris, the Peugeot Type 2 appeared, to be followed by the Type 3, which events together marked the inauguration of the Peugeot automobile business.

Performance

The Peugeot Type 2 was powered by a two-cylinder four stroke V-format petrol/gasoline engine, assembled under licence from

Daimler Daimler is a German surname. It may refer to: People * Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), German inventor, industrialist and namesake of a series of automobile companies * Adolf Daimler (1871–1913), engineer and son of Gottlieb Daimler * Paul Da ...

. The engine was mounted underneath the seat, above and slightly ahead of the rear axle to which it was linked by a

chain-drive Chain drive is a way of Transmission (mechanics), transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles. It is also used in a wide variety of ma ...

. of power was provided from the unit. A maximum speed of was recorded. Engine cooling in the 1880s was a challenge for the combustion engine. To solve this, the Type 2's engine incorporated tubes filled with water, adumbrating the radiator that would be an essential feature of many combustion engines in the ensuing centuries. A wheelbase of supported a vehicle length of . The width and height were respectively and . A rudimentary suspension system pointed the way ahead regarding what would become another mainstream feature of the motor car. The main Peugeot business was, at this time, expanding rapidly its bicycle production, and the Type 2’s light weight may have incorporated lessons learned from cycle production. Four Type 2s were produced. Three were quadricycles while the fourth was a tricycle. They all had space for two on the bench above the engine.

Notes

External links

Picture
{{Peugeot historic timeline 1890s cars Type 2 Vehicles introduced in 1890 Rear-engined vehicles

History

Performance

Notes

Further reading

External links