Paris–Rouen, Le Petit Journal Horseless Carriages Contest (Concours du ‘Petit Journal’ Les Voitures sans Chevaux), was a pioneering city-to-city motoring competition in 1894.
The contest was organised by the newspaper Le Petit Journal and ran from Paris to Rouen in France on 22nd July 1894. 102 entries were initially due to race in the event, but only 24 appeared for the initial four days of vehicle exhibition and qualifying events. Many national and international newspapers wrote about the upcoming race and thousands of visitors entered Paris to catch a glimpse of the vehicles before the race was due to start. The eight 50 km (31 mi) qualifying events started near the Bois de Boulogne and comprised interwoven routes around Paris to select the entrants for the main 126 km (78 mi) event.
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