Michelin celebrates centenary of ‘Grand Prize’
Back in 1908, when manned flight was still in its infancy, brothers André and Edouard Michelin proposed a contest to encourage the development of the aviation industry, launching the 100,000-franc (around £200,000 in today’s money) “Michelin Grand Prize.” While Michelin says leading specialists of the day considered the criteria for winning the prize – namely taking off from Paris before flying over the Arc de Triomphe, turning towards Clermont-Ferrand, flying over the cathedral spires and safely landing on top of the nearby Puy de Dôme mountain – a feat that would remain unachievable for many years, the Michelin brothers thought it could be accomplished within a decade. As it turns out, they only needed to wait three years before the prize was claimed, and now the French tyre major is celebrating the hundredth anniversary of this milestone.