Reinventing the racing car

Around 1910, the automobile industry seemed to have run out of gas; the Grand Prix of the Automobile Club of France, unofficial world championship, hadn’t been run since 1908. Elsewhere in the world, several races were cancelled – due to the excessively large size of racing engines (up to 14 liters) which, after crushing the competition, saw their performance plateau dangerously. And yet, public enthusiasm was always there.

Three self-taught drivers and mechanics, with the support of Peugeot, gave birth to a lighter, better performing, and decidedly more modern racing car. Former racing adversary from Hispano Suiza, Paul Zuccarelli joined Jules Goux and Georges Boillot in the venture. Only one condition to the deal: Peugeot would supply the shop facilities and the necessary funds, but the entire operation was to be kept secret! The trio began work in the old aviation workshops in Suresnes. The result of their efforts, the L.76, was entered into competition from 1912 with eloquent results: Grand Prix of the Automobile of France, the record for the Mont Ventoux hill-climb (17 minutes 46 seconds) Sarthe-Le Mans cup in 1912; and the flying 1/2 mile speed record (110 mph) for Goux at Brooklands in 1913. A good omen for the 500 miles of Indianapolis to be run the same year…

A model race team

At Indianapolis, the Peugeots of Goux and Zuccarelli faced stiff competition from the Mercers, Stutz, Sunbeams and Mercedes. Still, Goux led the field until the eighth lap, when he was overtaken by Burnham in his Keeton, and he fell back to 13th. Paul Zuccarelli however, a seasoned race driver, decided to apply some racing science, and pushed Burnham to the limit, until retiring with bearing failure in the 18th lap. In the process, he set a new track record at 93.5 mph!

But the tactic paid off: Burnham pulled into the pits, his engine in flames, on the 48th lap – his machine just couldn’t take the pressure the Peugeot driver had put on it. Jules Goux came back up through the field, finally taking back the lead before being overtaken by Anderson’s Stutz on the 128th lap.

Eight laps later, he re-took the lead from his rival and held it to the finish. Jules Goux carried both the American and the French flags across the finish line under a deluge of applause. For his exceptional performance he reaped spoils: the Remy Grand trophy for having led the race for 200 miles, the Prest-O-Lite trophy for running 300, and the Wheeler and Schebler trophy for 400 miles. The American press of the period attributed his success to a cocktail of "Champagne, Castor oil and Gasoline"… Oh, those French!

[04/25/2002]