Charlatan Survivor—1914 Peugeot L45

I recently beheld a holy icon of auto racing called the Bothwell Peugeot. Why it is called that I will explain later, but first I need to tell you a remarkable story that will make real the significance of this issue’s feature car. The event happened more than 100 years ago but it was a major turning point in automotive history, and this is it:

After Frenchman Jules Goux thundered across the finish line to win the 1913 Indianapolis 500 in his Peugeot L76, he was most likely well into his fifth bottle of champagne by the time Spenser Wishart in his Mercer came across to claim second place 13 minutes later. Goux and his ride-along mechanic Emil Begin polished off the first four bottles of bubbly during their six pit stops.