Emile Levassor

Emile Constant Levassor (1843-1897) was a French engineer and automotive pioneer who, with the 1891 Panhard car, established the basic mechanical layout of the modern automobile. He moved the engine from the rear to the front of the vehicle and added a water cooling radiator, replaced the bicycle style belt drives of earlier cars with a crankshaft, and created an early form of modern transmission using a clutch pedal and a gear stick mounted between the seats, an arrangement that became known as the systeme Panhard and gave passengers significantly more room. He was also an active early motor racer, competing in the 1894 Paris to Rouen race and the 1895 Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race. He was injured in the 1896 Paris-Marseille-Paris race while swerving to avoid a dog, never recovered, and died in Paris in 1897. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/