Weatherday: Father of the modern automobile

Liffey Wildlife Walk (2012)

A mainly dry day with some bright or sunny spells breaking through what will otherwise be mostly cloud. A small chance of showers in mid-afternoon.

Highest temperature 15deg, feeling a little cooler in light breezes from the west.

On this day in 1895, Emile Levassor came in first in the inaugural official automobile race, a 1,178km run from Paris to Bordeaux and back. He was an exceptional motor engineer, putting the engine in front, and introducing a clutch and gearbox on his Panhard & Levassor cars, among many other innovations.

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