39 - [AUTOMOBILE]. Heavy Vehicle Competition. Versailles, 1897. Commission Report.

[AUTOMOBILE]. Heavy Vehicle Competition. Versailles, 1897. Commission Report. Official report of the heavy-duty vehicle competition organized in Versailles in 1897 by the Automobile Club de France, illustrated with numerous diagrams, photographs, and two fold-out plates, in a beautiful binding crafted in the Laurenchet workshops. Paris, Le Génie Civil, 1897. In-8 (210 x 140 mm), Bradel-style binding, aubergine half-shagreen, smooth spine embossed with the title and date in gold lettering, covers and spine preserved (Laurenchet Workshops). 104 pages, 33 illustrations and photographs in the text, numerous tables, 2 fold-out plates. Minimal scuffing at the top, original covers faded, minor tears on the plates. First edition of the official report published following the 1897 Versailles Heavy Vehicle Competition, an event organized by the Automobile Club de France to test and evaluate the first motorized commercial vehicles. It provides a detailed account of the testing methods, payloads, distances traveled, and performance of the various vehicles entered in the competition (such as the Panhard & Levassor omnibuses). A pleasant copy with a clean and fresh interior.