The 1896 Paris-Marseille-Paris Race.
   In September 1896, the Paris–Marseille–Paris automobile race, a 1,728-kilometer reliability trial started in Versailles.
The event featured a total prize fund of 47,050 francs and attracted forty officially registered competitors, consisting of 36 gasoline-powered and 4 steam-powered vehicles. The regulations categorized the vehicles by capacity, including 18 two-seaters, 2 three-seaters, 15 four-seaters, 2 five-seaters, and 3 six-seaters. Additionally, motor-tricycles that had qualified in the Paris–Mantes preliminary trial were permitted to participate for official timing, though they were excluded from the prize money. Winner was Émille Mayade in a Panhard & Levassor, as P&L dominated the field by winning 7 out of 10 sections.
   The race functioned as a comparative field test between established heavy luxury automobiles and newly introduced consumer models, specifically the de Dion-Bouton gasoline tricycle (weighing 110 kg with a 0.5 horsepower engine and a 3-liter fuel capacity) and the Bollée voiturette tandem tricycle.
   Severe weather, including heavy rain and high winds, caused significant mechanical failures, crashes, and obstructions from fallen trees, which led to the complete elimination of all steam-powered competitors already by the third stage.
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