Did You Know That the First Car to Drive in Brazil Was Imported in 1891? And the Man Behind It Was None Other Than Santos Dumont

Before Conquering The Skies, Santos Dumont Surprised Brazil By Importing The First Car In The Country: A Peugeot Type 3, In 1891.

At the end of the 19th century, Brazil was still a rural country, with transportation based on carts, horses, and animal-drawn trolleys. But in 1891, something unprecedented happened.

The young Alberto Santos Dumont, then only 18 years old, brought to Brazil the first automobile that has been recorded in the country. It was a Peugeot Type 3, imported from France, with a 3.5-horsepower Daimler engine.

The Complete Story

The arrival of the car took place on November 25, 1891. The vehicle came aboard the ship Portugal and docked at the port of Santos, in São Paulo.

The story goes that the automobile was brought by Santos Dumont at the request of his father, Henrique Dumont, a wealthy farmer and technology enthusiast. The family lived in Ribeirão Preto, and the car quickly drew attention wherever it went.

The Peugeot Type 3 was small, had only three wheels, and reached speeds of up to 18 km/h. For its time, it was considered a true innovation.

It operated with an internal combustion engine, a technology still little known in Brazil. In a scenario dominated by animal traction, the noise of the engine and movement without horses caused astonishment and curiosity.

The vehicle traveled through the streets of Ribeirão Preto and then continued to the Dumont family farm. There, it became an attraction among locals and workers who had never seen anything like it. The car required special fuel — ether or gasoline — which complicated its constant use, as these products were not easy to obtain in Brazil at that time.

This arrival of the automobile represented the first direct contact of the country with automotive culture.

Only years later would Brazil begin to import more vehicles and, subsequently, produce them locally. But the pioneering spirit was marked: it was Santos Dumont who brought the first car to run on national soil.

Later, Dumont would gain worldwide fame for his achievements in aviation. But his connection to innovation began there, with a French car that changed the history of mobility in Brazil even before Brazilians knew what it was like to drive.

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