Which automobile manufacturer was the first to sell a production racing car?

[tom1356]

Not just made a car and raced it. I mean offered a special racing car model to the public as a production item?

[D-Type]

I expect it was Bugatti. They certainly sold racing cars

[tom1356]

I expect it was Bugatti. They certainly sold racing cars

This is a good answer. Bugatti started in 1909.

So far the earliest i can find is the 1900 Locomobile Locoracer also known as the Style 4.

[D-Type]

In 1907 Renault sold a racer based on their 1906 GP winner. These were definitely raced, including winning a 24hr race.
Did the Locoracer actually race or was it a name for marketing purposes like the Mercer Racebout?

[tom1356]

They did race them. T. E. Griffin, a factory driver, drove one to a record for a four-wheel vehicle at 1 min 6 sec for a mile at the Chicago automobile race exhibition and meet in September 1900.
They won many gold and silver medals at other evens as well. There was talk of a racing series based on the Locoracer but Locomobile moved into gasoline cars.
This is the prototype. It was designed and built by Chief Engineer George Eli Whitney using an engine from an 1898 Whitney Motorette originally built for Henry Howard.

[DestructionDerby]

The world's first car race was the idea of two French engineers and businessmen. Two men who owned an auto store in Paris were behind the first car race. Emile Levassor and Rene Panhard came up with the idea to race their cars as a way to promote their business.

[Nanocar]

The world's first production car with some 1200 units built was the Benz Velo of 1894, a lightweight, durable and inexpensive compact car.











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