For young aristocrats from the British Empire, the Grand Tour was a rite of passage in the 17th and 18th centuries. Education was a privilege reserved for the privileged few, who could afford to hire private tutors. These tutors were now eager to take their protégés abroad, across the English Channel to France, and perhaps further south into Italy. Their goal was to allow their students to witness and experience firsthand the wonders of art and architecture from earlier epochs.

As was customary, travelers on the Grand Tour traveled by boat and horse-drawn carriages. However, by the end of the 19th century, a revolution in transportation was underway. Young James Starley from Coventry, England, completed his ride around the world on a high-wheeler bicycle, the Ordinary, in 1886.

Only four years later, Europe and America had approximately forty different automotive manufacturers and 10,000 automobiles on the road. A new class of tinkerers, the engineers, began experimenting. In retrospect, this cultural shift in transportation was not unlike the Cambrian explosion or the birth of the Internet. In all major technology upheavals, change is inevitable, bringing both pain and progress.

As chronicled in Spinning Around the World, while Starley was pedaling his Ordinary around the world, budding engineers were fitting steam-powered engines to tricycles in an attempt to achieve faster speeds with reduced effort. Cornelius Vanderbilt was enamored with these early 'motorcycles' and became one of the first and most enthusiastic American automobilistas as engineers shifted their focus to developing four-wheeled vehicles. Vanderbilt became instrumental in bringing the thrill of motoring to the United States and helped kick off innovation by sponsoring the Vanderbilt Cup races and building the Long Island Motor Parkway in New York State, designed solely for automobiles.

In 1886, when Starley returned to the United States, his starting point on his own Global Grand Tour atop his Ordinary bicycle, Karl Benz had completed work on the first motorcar, the Benz Patent Motor Car.

Ordinary

Ordinary - NFT (Digital Object): Invented in 1870 by James Starley of Coventry, England, the two-wheeled Ordinary bicycle changed the world.collection. Collect the Classics. Cruise the Future.

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Wheels were turning everywhere, both mentally and mechanically. Imagine the mind-blowing experience it must have been for the few who witnessed Bertha Benz, accompanied by her two sons, driving her husband Karl's groundbreaking invention, the 1886 Benz Patent Motorcar. Bertha swiped the car from the family garage and embarked on an exhilarating adventure with her sons. She was determined to visit her mother, but they had no maps, no petrol stations, and no roads to guide them. Instead, they relied solely on their unwavering belief in their automobile. Their appearance in a motorized vehicle was awe-inspiring, and the human desire to drive spread like wildfire, captivating the hearts of everyone who witnessed their journey.

By the early 1890s, motorcars began to dominate the Grand Tour. The illustration accompanying this story, depicting an 1896 Panhard et Levassor 8 hp Dos-a-Dos Wagonette in a public square, suggests the transformative impact of the 1896 Paris-Marseilles-Paris race on public culture. Panhard et Levassor were one of the earliest automotive manufacturers. Mr. Levassor obtained an engine patent from Mr. Daimler in 1890 that catapulted French automotive production forward.

The Grand Tour

The Grand Tour - NFT (Digital Object): Imagine the exhilaration of traveling in private automobiles during the 1890s. At that time, there were only a handful of motorized vehicles on the road. Automobiles parked in city squares undoubtedly drew a great deal of attention.

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Imagine the thrill of traveling in private automobiles during the 1890s. Back then, only a few motorized vehicles graced the roads, and their presence in city squares undoubtedly drew a lot of attention. Driving on a paved or hard-packed surface was a cherished pleasure for automotive enthusiasts. Parking in the public square for an overnight stay on a new version of the Grand Tour is not difficult to believe. Can you imagine the attraction and fascination it created in the general public?

The initial fascination with the automobile quickly turned to hatred as wealthy owners transformed into speed demons, barreling down dirt roads through the countryside. Farmers and peasants living in that region were terrified for their livestock and their families' lives as aristocrats galloped down country lanes, terrorizing both four-legged and two-legged creatures. A battle was afoot between automobile owners, and those who dwelt alongside the primary transportation routes needed for traditional horse and wagon drayage.

The French were initially the most wildly enthusiastic audience for automobiles. Their visionary idea of the automobile's potential led to numerous crucial investments that propelled automotive innovation forward. As cars grew in popularity and affordability, more and more motorcars began appearing along the French Riviera. Wealthy villa owners with pristine views over the Mediterranean were infuriated by the clouds of dust kicked up from spinning tires. They pushed back. Landowners couldn’t remove the right-of-ways, so roadways received an upgrade.

The battle over automobiles began as a socialist uprising against the wealthy who owned and drove automobiles freely, causing chaos for the general population who lacked the means to own them. The war against automobiles was fought through licenses, regulations, fines, and advice for automotive owners to carry pistols while traveling. Finally, a new wave of innovation emerged: paving or oiling roads to reduce the resulting dust clouds.

As automobiles became more affordable, the Grand Tour iterated and expanded rapidly, attracting more independent tourists. The early automotive adventurers weren't just taking the Grand Tour for the rite of passage, the educational experiences, and the newfound freedoms that traveling on the continent offered. Half the fun of taking the Grand Tour at the turn of the twentieth century was the thrill of motoring.

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Reference:

A Brief History of Motion by Tom Standage. Bloomsbury Publishing. Copyright ©️ 2021 by Tom Standage.

The Voyage of Italy, by Richard Lassels, published in 1670