An epic race, pioneering cars and crews willing to do anything to get to the finish line: these are the irresistible ingredients of London-Brighton. Let’s discover the adventure of the MAUTO Peugeot Type 3!
London-Brighton is the most incredible and adventurous motor racing competition in the world. Not so much for the route itself but for the type of cars that take part in it, creating an unparalleled spectacle. In fact, these are strictly vehicles built by 1904called upon to travel a distance of “only” 100km.
A nonsense for the cars we use every day, a great undertaking for these lively “grandmas”. As we can easily imagine the technical problems are quite frequent and only the stubbornness of the crewstogether with the simplicity of the means, make this great show possible, unique in the world.
London-Brighton 2023: Italy stands out!
The MAUTO, the Turin Automobile Museum, took care of keeping the Italian flag high on English soil. In fact the Peugeot Type 3, belonging to the Museum’s collection, was awarded a special prize dedicated to the car that best represents the spirit of the event. This heroic veteran, class of 1892then succeeded in the great feat of completing the race.
Traffic lights, roundabouts and heavy traffic are just some of the modern “pitfalls” he has had to face. The honor of driving the Peugeot rightly fell to the curator of the Turin Automobile Museum, Davide Lorenzone. A great effort which he was certainly rewarded by the pride of having brought back onto the road, after a great deal of restoration work, a vehicle with more than 130 years!
London-Brighton, the Peugeot Type 3: some curiosities
The Peugeot Type 3, also known as vis-à-vis, was the first car to be produced and circulated in Italy. Capable of expressing a maximum power of 2 HP, the engine allowed this car to reach a maximum speed of 18 km/h. Its construction simplicity, due to the Daimler mechanics and the partially wooden structure, allowed for easy maintenance and acceptable reliability by the standards of the time.
The example of the MAUTO was originally ordered by Gaetano Rossi, at the time head of the important Lanerossi company. The car, before taking part in the London-Brighton 2023, was subjected to a long and important restoration functional.
In fact, despite the intrinsic simplicity of the vehicle, restoration work is complicated by the total lack of spare parts and the entirely artisanal and tailor-made workmanship. A great challenge that has above all one objective: to remind us that the car is something it has always had united and intertwined the story and the economy of European nations.
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