Émile Louis Mayade (21 August 1853 – 18 September 1898) (sometimes misspelled Mayard) was a French motoring pioneer and racing driver. He drove a Panhard et Levassor in the world's first 'city to city' motoring contest from Paris to Rouen in 1894 and went on win the world's first open motor race, the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris, where the first driver across the line was the winner.Driver Database – Internetseite: Forix – Internetseite:
Biography Émile Mayade was born in Clermont-Ferrand in 1853 and by the 1890s was working as 'Chef d'Atelier' at Levassor in Paris, looking after the workshop and machinery, plus participating in the development of the cars. He was married to Jeanne Marie Louise Dussutour of Tarbes and they lived above the Levassor workshop in the 'Avenue d'Ivry' in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.Mercedes And Auto Racing In The Belle Epoque, 1895–1915 By Robert Dick
Racing Mayade drove a Panhard et Levassor Phaeton 8 hp in the world's first motoring event from Paris to Rouen in 1894 where he finished seventh after eight hours and nine minutes.TeamDan Motoring Results Archive – 1894 In 1895 he finished sixth in the Paris–Bordeaux–Paris race after 72 hours 14 minutes.TeamDan Motoring Results Archive – 1895
His greatest success was the victory in the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris where he won three stages and finished in 67 hours 42 minutes 58 seconds, almost 30 minutes ahead of Merkel in another Panhard et Levassor 8 hp. The Panhard had been extensively upgraded for 1896, using their first four-cylinder engine which provided twice the horsepower of the 1895 model. It was equipped with tiller steering and candle lamps. The brakes were spoon-levers pressing on each solid rubber back tyre and a band brake on the counter-shaft in the transmission. This was the same vehicle in which Émile Levassor had won 2 of the first three stages before suffering an injury during stage 4 from which he died a year later.Genesis2Scale LLC Museum – 1896 Panhard-Levassor VehicleTeamDan Motoring Results Archive – 1896
On 14 November 1896 he finished 6th (or poss. 4th) in the inaugural London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (Emancipation Day Run) to celebrate the Emancipation of British motorists and the repeal of the Red Flag Act. He took 6 hours 8 minutes 15 seconds to complete the in a Panhard & Levassor 8 hp, Phaeton 4 seater.TeamDan Early results database – 1896 The car was subsequently sold to Charles Rolls for £1,200.
In July 1897 Mayade drove a Panhard in the Paris-Dieppe race which was won by Count Jules-Albert de Dion in a de Dion 20 hp steamer.
Death Mayade died in 1898 in Chevanceaux, Charente-Maritime, after a traffic accident with a runaway horse and cart that caused him to be thrown from his car and crushed.La France Automobile du 1° octobre 1898, page 336 – Obituary notes (pointer – Illustrations in Le Monde on 6–7 January 1991)
References
External links European Motoring Museum, Drawing of the 1894 Panhard & Levassor, number 64 driven by Émile Mayade, equipped with "four-poster" draperies.