Many events in automotive history can be attributed to the creative dream and obsession of a single man to realize his dreams. The Ford and the Jaguar were examples of this. The Indianapolis 500 also began as one man's dream. Carl Fisher of Indianapolis, Indiana conceived the idea of building a racetrack for car manufacturers to test their equipment against that of other manufacturers. And he believed that the general public would be willing to pay to watch these events.

Carl had some friends who were also interested in his dream. Together they searched for and found land, which they were able to buy for $72,000. They then incorporated under the name of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company.

Although scheduled to open on June 5, 1909, there were several construction delays so the first race was not held until August 19, 1909. Unfortunately, this event was marked by tragedy. Three competitors and two spectators were killed while several other people were injured.

Following these sad occurrences, Fisher announced that the track would be made safer. After paving the track, and installing guardrails, Fisher re-opened the track on December 17, 1909. Many successful events were now held and plans were soon in the works for a new, bigger and better track, which was completed in 1911.

The first Indianapolis 500 was held on May 30, 1911. The winning prize was $17,550. Ray Haroun, driving a Marmon Wasp, won.

However, the race did not arouse any interest in Europe until 1913. That year, in addition to cars from the United States, drivers entered from France, England, Germany and Italy. A European driver, Jules Goux, won, driving a 1913 Peugeot. He was the first European winner. Now the American Indy 500 had earned international status. It continued to grow until World War I; during which time all racing activities were suspended. The track served the war effort as a landing field and was also used as an aviation repair depot.

Following the end of World War I, the first race was held on May 31. The winner's prize was $50,000. But tragedy struck again, the first time since 1911, and three people were killed.

In 1920, Gaston Chevrolet, in a Monroe, was the first driver across the finish line. He was the first American winner since 1912.

In 1927 Carl Fisher sold the Speedway to Eddie Rickenbacker. Over the following years, many changes took place. Then during World War II, the Speedway was left idle. Races were discontinued and it was not needed in the war effort.

After repairs and renovation, it re-opened in 1946. That year, George Robson won.

Many traditions have developed around the race. At the end the Purdue Marching Band plays "Back Home Again in Indiana." When the line "the new mown hay" begins, thousands of multicolored balloons are released into the air.

Since the race occurs on Memorial Day, the band plays "Taps" and a US military aircraft performs a fly-by.

There is a more recent tradition, which began in 1996, of the winning driver and crew kissing the yard of bricks that indicate the start/finish line. It is also traditional that the winner drinks a bottle of milk right after the race.

Over the years, Carl Fisher's dream has probably exceeded his wildest expectations. The winning purse has gone from $27,550 in 1911 to $9,047,150 in 1999. Cars enter and people attend from around the world. Carl Fisher would be happy.

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2. The History of Peugeot

The cars we see on the forecourts of Peugeot dealerships today can trace a rich heritage back more than a hundred years. The company however originally manufactured many other items before it decided to enter the car manufacturing industry. Far removed from cars in dealerships was the manufacture of steel rods that were used to construct crinoline dresses. It was through the manufacture of these circular rods however that eventually led Peugeot into making their first form of transport, the humble bicycle. In fact the nineteenth century saw Peugeot using their knowledge of steel to produce 'Le Grand Bi' more commonly known around the world as the penny farthing.

Once Peugeot had decided to manufacture cars it was under the name of Armand Peugeot. Their first car, rather than utilising internal combustion used steam power as a means of propulsion. This three wheeled car did not however make it to dealerships; only four were ever made making them somewhat of a collector's item today. The preference of steam however did not continue for long, with the help of Gotlieb Daimler the internal combustion engine soon became the power plant of choice.

Always a company to embrace technological advances, the cars in the early Peugeot dealerships were the first to have rubber tyres, created to improve the ride quality of early cars they were severely limited by the fact that instead of being pneumatic, were instead made from solid rubber. Even in this early stage however Peugeot had a clear dispensation for motor sport, entering these early cars into various racing events of the time.

At the turn of century Peugeot had cemented its place in the hearts of the French motoring fraternity. Dealerships began were founded amazingly selling three hundred cars out of a total of twelve hundred sold in France during 1899. Also during this period Peugeot manufactured motorcycles, using the bicycle heritage from previous years. In the four years after 1899 Peugeot became France's favourite car manufacturer, selling more than half of the total cars sold in dealerships across the country.

It was not until the twenties that Peugeot made the decision to divide its bicycle and car manufacturing efforts. The bike company continues until this day producing some of the best bikes on the market while the motoring division continued to court the French public with affordable and reliable cars. During this period, dealerships saw the arrival of the Type 201, the cheapest new car in all of France throughout the twenties. It was with this car that Peugeot tested their retractable roof designs. This theme is still present today with the Peugeot producing the 206 cabriolet, a design harking back to the immensely popular 201.

After the war years Peugeot turned its back somewhat on a French public who struggled to produce disposable income, instead making a concerted effort to open many dealerships in the United States. Not being totally successful in capturing the rather insular American car market it was during this period that collaboration with Renault was established as well as working closely with Volvo on a variety of design aspects.

As a result of great selling figures in Peugeot dealerships during the seventies and with the help of the French government a takeover of rival manufacturer Citroen was launched. The buyout saw many dealerships come under the control of the company making it the largest car manufacturer in France. A situation that continues to this day thanks to the efforts of company chiefs to give each company its own distinct identity.

So what can be drawn from this history? Undoubtedly Peugeot has a rich heritage in manufacturing; also it has proved a dedication to producing affordable and reliable cars not only for the French public but for the entire globe. Who would have guessed that one of the most illustrious car manufacturers of the modern day started their existence manufacturing dresses?

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Peugeot began its reign in motorsports since the very beginning with the entering five cars for the Paris-Rouen Trials in 1894. These motorsport trials are largely recognized as the first motor sports competition. It was not until 1912 that Peugeot made its most notable contribution to the world of motor sports when one of the entered cars won the French Grand Prix. This winning Peugeot car was advanced and influential for later designs as the Peugeot featured a dual overhead cam configuration with four valves per cylinder. The Peugeot innovation made it such that the engines could be smaller and kick out maximum horsepower versus relying on larger heavier engines to get the desired horsepower.

1913 marked an excellent year for Peugeot in racing as they won the Indianapolis 500 and the French Grand Prix. Interestingly enough, when one of the Peugeot racers remained in the US during WWI, parts could not be acquired from France for the 1914 season. The owner of the car, Bob Burma, had the Peugeot serviced under the mechanic, Fred Offenhauser. The familiarity with the Peugeot engine was the basis of the Miller racing engine which led to the Offy racing engine.

The racing team had a great deal of success wit hthe Peugeot 504 and the four wheel drive turbo charged 205 model. The 205 model is by far the best selling Peugeot model of all time, with the discontinuation of the model happening in the near future. The Peugeot 206 rally car enjoyed successes in championships beating the well known Subaru Impreza. The 206 was retired from rally racing after being nearly unbeatable during its reign as a racing force. The 206 was replaced in rally racing with the 307, which is nowhere near what the 206 established. In the races, transmission troubles gave the car poor results, which made it a far cry from the 206.

In the 1990s, the Peugeot 406 saloon was largely referred to as a sedan in many countries. The Peugeot 406 competed in the touring car championships worldwide with success in France, Germany and Australia. The mid-1990s were characteristic of the 406 losing popularity because of lackluster performance in racing. The lack of success was largely based on suspension problems, and the Peugeot 406 earned a poor reputation. After the fact, the Peugeot 406 was declared to be underpowered and the team was underfunded. Had the Peugeot team been better funded, the Peugeot 406 could have a better standing reputation today. In 2001, Peugeot entered three 406 models in to the British touring car championship to compete with Vauxhall Astra coupes. The Peugeot 406 was at the end of its production life cycle and was not competitive with the newer, more technologically advanced vehicles in the race. The Peugeot 307 replaced the 406, with the 307 having lackluster success as well. In all reality, had Peugeot stuck with the 206, they might still have a dominant rally racing prowess.

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Although the Peugeot factory has been in manufacturing for many centuries it was not until 1889 that they decided to enter into the automobile industry and begin to sell their cars through dealerships. Peugeot originally manufactured crinoline dresses which used steel rods for rigidity. The making of these circular rods eventually led into making bicycles in the nineteenth century; the most famous being the Peugeot 'Le Grand Bi' (penny farthing) bicycle.

Armand Peugeot as the company was originally known would not enter the automobile market until late in the nineteenth century with a three wheeled steam driven motor car. Only four of these seminal cars were made and as such, not many made it to the forecourts of dealerships. Steam however was soon forgotten by Peugeot in favour of internal combustion with the help of Gottlieb Daimler.

Peugeot have always been a leader in the industry and were in fact the first company to fit rubber tyres to their cars; although these were not pneumatic and instead made of solid rubber. It was at this point that Peugeot entered motor racing, despite the cars resembling horse drawn carriages and still being steered by a tiller.

By the turn of the nineteenth century dealerships were sprouting with three hundred cars being sold in 1899 out of a total of 1200 cars sold in the whole of France. Peugeot not forgetting their bicycle heritage also produced a motorbike at the turn of the century and continue to do so to this day. The success of the company as a national institution was seemingly already assured by 1903 with over half of France's car sales.

The company divided its energies during the twenties, one focussing on the bikes and the other focussing on the cars. Throughout this period Peugeot continued to put affordable cars onto their dealership forecourts with the Type 201 being the cheapest car in France. Innovation was always a consistent theme; the development of retracting roof was an attempt to coax rich Frenchmen with stylistic designs and luxurious cars. The curvaceous bodies and sloping headlights of this period would be features in Peugeot design for generations after.

During the fifties Peugeot began to open dealerships in America trying to capture some of the booming economy in the post war states. It was at this point that many collaborations with other European companies occurred, such as a combining efforts with Renault in 1966 and Volvo in 1972. The company also utilised the exquisite designing abilities of the Pininfarina house to make models even more attractive to buyers.

The seventies saw a major move by Peugeot to take over rival French manufacturer, Citroen. This meant an even more extensive number of dealerships at their disposal and meant that with the formation of PSA (Peugeot Societe Anonyme) Peugeot were part of the biggest car manufacturer in France. PSA worked towards keeping the company identities separate throughout this period and the distinctive flare of each brand continues to this day.

With ongoing growth and successful dealerships throughout Europe, Peugeot were able to purchase the European division of Chrysler. This had mixed success and in fact caused trouble for the PSA's financial position. Despite a poor period throughout the eighties Peugeot were able to recoup the losses from the previous decade and achieve a strong position throughout the nineties. Despite losing the American sales base in this period the company still does well in Europe and will continue to do so with innovative technologies and quaint French styling.

Ultimately the company has a rich and diverse heritage; after a relatively modest beginning manufacturing dresses they have managed to become one of the automotive powerhouses of Europe. In today's highly competitive car industry they will be hard pushed to remain popular and continue to grow as they had done in the previous century.

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