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April 20, 1887. Bouton and his co-driver won World's First Motor Race (on a steam-powered quadricycle), Paris, France
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World's First Motor Race
Event Date: April 20, 1887
Location: Paris, France
The record books show that on this day Georges Bouton “won the world’s first motor race”. But it was a hollow victory and there was no champagne celebration – because Bouton and his co-driver were the only ones taking part. And, in fact, it wasn’t even a car. It was a steam-powered quadricycle.
The event was a “test” organised by the newspaper Le Velocipede to see if Bouton’s machine, which had boasted speeds of 60kmph, could make the 29-kilometre distance between Neuilly Bridge in Paris and the Bois de Boulogne.
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Photo courtesy Hulton Archive/Getty Images