May 31st, 2018: Tour de France Caravans

[xoxoxoBruce]

The Tour de France was created in 1903 by a French newspaper as a gimmick to sell more papers.
It was successful in attracting hoards of people to come out and watch, and it didn’t take long for companies to realize it was an
opportunity to put their product before all those eyes.

In 1929 the race director of the Tour de France got together with the marketing director of the country’s leading chocolatier, Menier, to create the first parade of caravans promoting French products. A fleet of vehicles were seen by nearly 10 million people on the route promoting various goods and local businesses– and the tradition was born…

The caravans have become more and more extravagant over the years, eventually spawning an official competition for the best publicity vehicle. They were built by the great coach builders of the time, such as Heuliez and Augereau, mounted on standard chassis by manufacturers such as Renault and Citroen.

They could show more people if it wasn't for those damn bicycle riders holding them up.

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