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Jean-Pierre Wimille - world-class driver and constructor

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Created on January 15, 1989

Text:

Max Stoop

Photos:

Archiv

13

Archiv

13

Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 "Alfetta" (1946) - First post-war appearance of the "Alfetta" on June 9, 1946 at the Coupe René le Bègue in Paris-Saint-Cloud

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Bugatti Type 59 (1936) - Jean-Pierre Wimille on his way to victory at the Grand Prix du Comminges on August 9, 1936

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Bugatti Type 37 "Tank" (1937) - Jean-Pierre Wimille next to his Le Mans winning car

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Bugatti Type 59/50 B (1938) - Jean-Pierre Wimille had to retire from the Cork Grand Prix in Ireland on April 23, 1938

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At the Turin Grand Prix on September 1, 1946, Wimille finishes second behind Achille Varzi. Here he talks to a reporter together with Nino Farina (left)

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JPW streamliner (1946) - prototype with mid-engine and three seats side by side

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Simca-Gordini T15 (1947) - Jean-Pierre Wimille at the Lausanne Grand Prix on October 5, 1947

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Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 "Alfetta" (1946) - Jean-Pierre Wimille wins the Italian Grand Prix in pouring rain at Valentino Park in Turin on September 5, 1948

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Simca-Gordini T15 (1947) - Jean-Pierre Wimille was killed in an accident during training for the Gran Premio Juan Domingo Peron on January 28, 1949

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Funeral service for Jean-Pierre Wimille in the church of Saint Philippe du Roule in Paris

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On the north-eastern edge of the Bois du Boulogne, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, a monument was erected in Jean-Pierre Wimille's honor in 1957. Fellow racing drivers Yves Giraud-Cabantous (left) and Philippe Etancelin lay a wreath. Behind them are Juan Manuel Fangio (left) and Jean Behra.

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Jean-Pierre Wimille, born on February 26, 1908 in Paris, died on January 28, 1949 in Buenos Aires

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Wimille streamliner (1950) - The further developed prototype from 1948

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Summary

January 28 marked the 73rd anniversary of Jean-Pierre Wimille's death. Between 1946 and 1948, the Frenchman was the best Grand Prix racing driver of the time. But he was also - and this is even more forgotten today than his brilliant career as an automobile sportsman - the initiator of a highly futuristic passenger car with a sporty character. This article was published in 1989 on the fortieth anniversary of his death and tells the story of the short but highly successful life of the French racing driver.

This article contains the following chapters

Son of a motoring journalist...
... and soon a Bugatti driver
Le Mans winner for the first time
The dream of designing his own car
After the war
The era of the Alfetta
From one success to the next
And another prototype
Tragic end

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

After the Second World War, the French champion driver Jean-Pierre Wimille became my idol, as his racing results made the headlines. As an adolescent car enthusiast, I raved about this man and his skills. My luck was complete when I saw him drive with my own eyes at the 1948 Swiss and European Grand Prix on the Bremgarten circuit in Bern. His calm, detached style fascinated me, and even though he didn't win the race (because Achille Varzi had died in an accident during training, his compatriot Graf Trossi was supposed to win after the Alfa Romeo stable order), he was still clearly the best for me.

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