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Rétromobile presents the first auto-mobile vehicle in live demonstration, “Le Fardier de Cugnot” by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot
Press release
The exhibition Rétromobile has always aimed to open a window onto the history of locomotion. This 46 edition will be no exception to the rule, and will reveal the genesis of the automobile in the most explicit sense of the term «auto-mobile.» At the show, the society «Le Fardier de Cugnot» will present ever automobile vehicle in history, in a live demonstration.
Two and a half centuries ago, and for the first time, the wheels of the first auto-mobile machine moved for the first time, thus setting in motion the entire history of the automobile. Its designer and French military engineer, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, was oblivious to the fact that he would become the first-ever car driver.
Cugnot’s project was supported and financed on the decision of the Duke of Choiseul, who was Minister of War under Louis XV, and on the advice of General Gribeauval, a leading artillery specialist. Both believed in mechanising armies, and saw in Cugnot’s project a solution to the problem of transporting heavy cannons.
In 1770, it was a big hit . The Fardier travelled at a speed of 4 km/h with a running time of fifteen minutes. But at the end of 1770, Cugnot lost his financial support with the forced departure of the Duke of Choiseul and the relegation of General Gribeauval. Lacking financial resources, the Fardier was parked in the warehouses of the Arsenal of Paris. Lacking new patrons, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot was obliged to suspend his work on the development of his Fardier. The futuristic adventure of the first automobile was engulfed and brought to a halt by the history of men, with the first rumblings of the
French Revolution.
Nicolas Joseph Cugnot was more than a military engineer: he was a visionary with an array of avant-garde ideas. Despite his setbacks and disappointments, and thanks to the few kilometres he covered at the controls of his Fardier, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot had paved the way for the great adventure of the automobile. Regrettably, he joined the ranks of men who were too far ahead of their time.
Cugnot’s Fardier managed to survive the tumults of history, and was miraculously saved and preserved. It is currently on display, since 1801, at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers in Paris.
At Rétromobile, the society «Le Fardier de Cugnot» will present the first auto-mobile vehicle in live demonstration. The idea of rebuilding a replica of the Fardier de Cugnot came about in 2007. This exciting project was brought to life thanks to the municipality of Void-Vacon, where Nicolas Joseph Cugnot was born, its mayor André Jannot, Fabrice Génisson, a native of the area and an Arts et Métiers graduate engineer, and a dynamic team of volunteers from the village.
This reconstruction drew on the know-how of craftsmen from the region and the Meuse. The revival was made possible thanks to the commitment of the Arts et Métiers Paris Tech engineering school.
“I immensely enjoyed taking part in this adventure alongside some wonderful people. We were very worried that the Fardier might not work as it should. So you can imagine our delight when it moved by its own means, and the joy of travelling for 50 minutes without stopping or refuelling, whereas historians had been reporting 15 minutes.” Francis Marsaux, Retired maintenance technician.
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HISTORICAL FAKE NEWS
For more than 250 years, all the school history books have recounted the accident of Cugnot’s Fardier, always illustrated with the same engraving showing the Fardier smashing into a wall owing to lack of brakes. This story was published almost a century after the tests. There is no official record of the accident. The live demonstrations will prove the contrary. The time has come to restore Nicolas Joseph Cugnot’s reputation!
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Rétromobile 2022
Dates: Wednesday 16 – Sunday 20 March 2022
Venue: Paris Expo Porte de Versailles – Pavilions 7.2 and 7.3
Press preview: Tuesday 15 March at 5pm
Opening hours: Wednesday and Friday 10am – 10pm, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 10am – 7pm
Admission prices: €20 in advance online, €24 on the door, free for children under 12.
Published:
Tuesday January 18th, 2022
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Comments
Tony Press
19 January 2022, 23:57
Arnoud van der Sman
19 January 2022, 12:23
So this is a different replica than the one I saw at the 2011 Retromobile .
that replica was built by Mister Alain Cerf from the Tampa Bay Auto Museum
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that replica was built by Mister Alain Cerf from the Tampa Bay Auto Museum
David Barker
19 January 2022, 10:37
Sorry Mr Green but I think you are wrong! The article says------"Cugnot’s Fardier managed to survive the tumults of history, and was miraculously saved and preserved. It is currently on display, since 1801, at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers in Paris."
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David GREEN
18 January 2022, 19:37
Correct me if I am wrong but your article makes no mention of the fact that the true original exists in its entirety at the Musée des Arts et Metiers in Paris and has been there since it was transferred from the Arsenal in 1799. I remember it as a child over 60 years ago. The museum says the original had no brakes (true) and never worked (true or not?) It would be interesting to see the original evidence.
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“I immensely enjoyed taking part in this adventure alongside some wonderful people. We were very worried that the Fardier might not work as it should. So you can imagine our delight when it moved by its own means, and the joy of travelling for 50 minutes without stopping or refuelling, whereas historians had been reporting 15 minutes.” Francis Marsaux, Retired maintenance technician.