1910 Lion-Peugeot V2Y2

Armand and Eugene Peugeot's company began building cars in 1890, and by this point in history, the company had eight decades of manufacturing experience that included saws, umbrellas, coffee grinders, and (starting in 1886) bicycles.

Armand was interested in growing the auto business. His second cousin, Eugene, did not share those interests. So, Armand and Eugene parted ways, with Armand establishing Societe des Automobiles Peugeot. Although Eugene did not want to build cars, his son did. They formed Les Fils des Peugeot Freres (The Sons of the Brothers Peugeot) in 1905 to make small 'Lion-Peugeot' cars. Both of the Peugeot brands were successful and in 1910, the companies merged, phasing out the 'Lion' prefix. By 1913, Peugeot had become the largest automaker in France.

Voiturette racing helped fill the void left by the French Grand Prix, which had been hit hard during the global recession in the late 1900s. Jules Goux, whose father was an employee of the Peugeot bicycle plant, joined the company in 1903, where he performed several jobs, including test driver, engineer, and racing driver. Goux and Georges Boillot would build their skills driving one- and two-cylinder Lion-Peugeot voiturettes. Along with Paolo Zuccarelli who later joined the team, they would become famous for driving the cars powered by the world's first dual overhead cam engine - developed by Ernst Henry. They became known as 'The Charlatans.'

The V2Y2 was a two-cylinder, 16-horsepower model with approximately 300 examples built in four body styles.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2020