The Industrial Revolution in France was the final push for the iron and steel manufacturer Peugeot Frères. Many of you will know that the Peugeot firm, which is now part of the PSA Group, began manufacturing coffee grinders, salt and pepper shakers. To this day you can still buy his kitchenware or find his pieces in restaurants around the world. In Spain, however, we know the brand for its vehicles and it is no wonder. The Peugeot Type 2 is considered the first thermal car in history since the Type 1, manufactured in 1886, still circulated thanks to a steam engine. Not content with being the creator of the propellants we use today, in 1898 he developed the world’s first two-wheeled motorcycle . Already consolidated as the Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot company , its engineers used a Dion-Bouton engine to propel its story to stardom.
It soon became a brand of its own: Peugeot Motocyles. A firm with more than 100 years of history, which makes it the oldest in the market, present in more than 70 countries and with a strategy based on the emotional lifestyle of the two wheels. Since the appearance of its first model, the development of new technologies was constant and in 1901 the ZL engine emerged, which led to the discovery of the explosion system in a propeller.
The twin-cylinder engine
In 1905, Peugeot Motocyles launched its pioneering V-twin, 45-degree rake engine. An innovation that continues to be essential in the two-wheel sector and that made the manufacturer to the top. At the same time, its units competed in the most exciting challenges of the time such as the first Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man (UK) , a high-stakes competition that continues to take place and attract millions of fans. Around that time, in 1914, a Peugeot motorcycle managed to break the speed record by reaching 122.49 km / h and winning the Bol d’Or in 1934 and 1952 . He even has a Moto3 trophy to his credit, won by John McPhee at the 2016 Czech Republic Grand Prix.
The competition is a great test bed for developing production models. The founders of Peugeot Motocycles knew this and, from the beginning, they squeezed all the knowledge gleaned from racing. This business operation allowed to offer avant-garde technology in all its models, even the first P108 (1928) that are so closely related to the Second World War . This model was the first to assemble a 250-cubic-centimeter block and many are preserved in museums dedicated to warfare.
Start again
In 1945 Peugeot Motocycles opted for the small displacement (100 and 125 cc) , motorcycles easy to maintain and repair. Who was going to tell us that it would be the previous step to all those urbanites that we see in our cities? But that’s how it was. In 1953 the firm started marketing its first scooter : the S55 . Its design is reminiscent of a Vespa from the back but it had two individual seats and a flat surface on the front wheel, ideal for holding a suitcase. The current Peugeot Django pays tribute to this icon of history.
The S55, however, is not the brand’s most recognized model. That credit goes to the famous Peugeot 103, launched in 1970 . More than 55,000 units of this cult moped were sold, still used in Galician rural areas and which allowed many of us to get started on two wheels. This simple piece became the image of an entire generation and was the forerunner of the Peugeot Vogue , a 49cc moped that was revived as a phoenix in 2018. It was not successful in Spain but could be purchased for less than a thousand euros.
Emergence of technology
A new millennium was approaching and manufacturing was becoming more complex. Peugeot Motocycles bet on a winning horse: scooters . In 1983 he released the SC / SX which, while it looks horrible now, we would have declared ourselves fans at the time. Nor can we forget his first steps with electric mobility at the hands of the Scoot’Elec (1996) , a moped that used nickel-cadmium batteries.
The Speedfight launched in 1997 is still a favorite of the most daring youngsters. Its single-arm suspension made it a very agile toy for cities and its first generation managed to sell more than half a million units. The Metropolis three-wheeled model is considered one of the most technological on the market, along with the Pulión, launched in 2019. The latter debuts i-Connect cockpit , an interpretation of the i-Cockpit used in cars.
