A history book will open up to visitors to the Rétromobile exhibition from February 1 to 5, 2023. The story of a heroic era that was largely written in black and white and reappears again and again in sepia photos or on film reels.
It all began 100 years ago
Motorsport was already well established when Georges Durand, secretary of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, Charles Faroux, sports journalist at L'Auto, and Emile Coquille, director of the Rudge-Whitworth company, laid the foundations for a new 24-hour race, which became known as the "Endurance Grand Prix", under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, where the Motor Show was held in 1922.
A few months later, on May 26, 1923, 33 cars from 17 brands and three nations took to the 17.262 km track, which was marked out in the middle of the countryside east of Le Mans, according to rules that would make you smile today. The event, which was reserved exclusively for production cars, stipulated a number of obligations, such as completing at least twenty laps with the roof closed for open-top cars, carrying a ballast that varied according to the weight of the vehicle, reaching a minimum average speed depending on the engine capacity and maintaining a period of at least twenty laps between refueling stops to replenish water, fuel or oil.
There was no provision for scoring at the end of the 24 hours and the cars that came through qualified for the second round of the Rudge-Whitworth Triennial Cup. On the track, the enthusiasm and motivation of the drivers was unstoppable as soon as the flag dropped, and although there was no official ranking, it was undeniable that the Chenard & Walcker 3-liter of André Lagache and René Léonard was the first ever winner of this race. Fourteen French victories and numerous class wins followed, spread over the next hundred years.
In 1925 and 1926, the Lorraine-Dietrich emerged victorious, while the following year the 3-liter weasel nicknamed "La Punaise" (the bug) narrowly missed out on victory. Small Salmsons flanked a Bentley on the podium.
It was not until 11 years later that a French brand was once again on the winners' list. In the meantime, a separate general classification was introduced. After the mid-thirties, France was able to improve its record with an impressive triple victory thanks to the revival of Formula Sport. Bugatti entered the list of winners in 1937 and 1939 with his 57 G and 57 C tanks.
Between these two editions, another French marque, Delahaye, which entered seven cars, managed a double victory. At this time, Le Mans was truly a French affair, as Talbot also shone in the 1938 edition and the following year the best car on the track for a full 20 hours was a Delage.
Le Mans was the race that manufacturers and teams desperately wanted to win. This event became a huge image booster, an accelerator of progress for car manufacturers and a sensational human adventure.
After the Second World War
The Second World War put the sport on ice for the time being. The engines would not start up again until 1949. A year marked by the participation of the Delettrez brothers with a vehicle with a diesel engine. The following year, France was back at the top of the podium with the Talbot T26 GS driven by father and son Rosier. The achievement did not go unnoticed: Louis Rosier won single-handedly, leaving the wheel to his son Jean-Louis for just two laps and after a 40-minute pit stop to change a rocker arm.
In 1952, Pierre Bouillin, known as "Levegh", was well on his way to matching Rosier behind the wheel of his Talbot Barquette, but 70 minutes before the end, a technical defect
a technical defect thwarted his efforts. Some would say that Levegh, who did not let go of the wheel for the entire race, had accelerated too much.
While foreign brands shared the overall victories in the fifties, the ranking of the performance indices was reserved for Panhard. At a time when no French brand was able to play a leading role in the overall standings, Monopole, Panhard-Monopole, DB Panhard and CD-Panhard took first place in the performance rankings ten times in succession over a period of fifteen years.
In 1959, the ACO created a classification called the "energy efficiency index", which took into account average speed per hour, weight and fuel consumption, without taking engine capacity into account. Here too, the French small cars - CD-Panhard, then René Bonnet and Alpine-Renault - were to have serious reasons to join in.
But it would be some time before the Marseillaise could be heard on the podium again. From 1962, when the divorce between Charles Deutsch and René Bonnet was finalized, French motorsport gained momentum with Jean Rédélé's Alpine, technically supported by Amédée Gordini. In view of the increasing power of Ferrari, Ford and Porsche, the 3-liter V8 of the sports prototypes from Dieppe seemed a little too tame. The most realistic hopes of a French victory rest with Matra.
Back to success with Matra
With the support of Marcel Chassagny, the chairman of Mécanique Aviation Traction, and his colleague Sylvain Floirat, the young managing director Jean-Luc Lagardère launched a comprehensive motorsport program that included single-seaters and sports prototypes. With the development of a 12-cylinder 3-liter engine, Matra provided itself with the necessary means for success. It made its debut at Le Mans in 1968 with the Type 630 chassis.
In the rain, a heroic Pescarolo drove the Matra to second place before retiring with a puncture. The performance was impressive enough to persevere. This was to pay off later. After the decision to exclude the 5-liter sports cars, Vélizy's 3-liter prototypes reaped the rewards of their excellent preparation and reliability. Between 1972 and 1974, Matra, supported by Simca, scored three victories. The manufacturer was able to retire with its head held high and leave its place to Renault, which dreamed of winning the Le Mans classic with its supercharged V6 engine. The company with the diamond brand made it at the third attempt.
Then Renault
In 1978, the duo Didier Pironi - Jean-Pierre Jaussaud toppled the ogre Porsche by driving their A 442 Barquette down the Champs-Elysées. In the shadows, sponsored by wallpaper manufacturer Inaltera, a young man from Le Mans dreamed of challenging the big names in motorsport. Jean Rondeau achieved his goal in 1980 after several years of hard work and self-sacrifice. Together with Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, he won the race in the rain and prevailed against Jacky Ickx's Porsche.
Spurred on by Rondeau's success, the World Championship team, founded by the two Peugeot technicians Gérard Welter and Michel Meunier, also began to believe in victory. In 1988, their prototype, driven by Roger Dorchy and powered by a Peugeot V6 PRV, set a new speed record in the Hunaudières. The speed was quoted as 405 km/h as part of the Peugeot 405 launch campaign, but the WRC had actually reached 410 km/h. With the addition of two chicanes on the famous straight in 1990, the record remains unsurpassed to this day.
Early 1990s: Introduction of new racing regulations
The introduction of new racing regulations at the beginning of the 1990s prompted Peugeot to take up the challenge of Le Mans. After a year of adaptation, the lion from Sochaux won two races in a row (1992 and 1993) with its famous 905 sports prototypes powered by a 3.5-liter V10.
At the end of the 2000s, the brand from Franche-Comté returned to make a success of its HDI diesel technology with the 908.
Since 2009, the last victory of a French car at Le Mans, the Marseillaise has not been heard on the podium. In the meantime, Henri Pescarolo came close to adding his name to the list of winners at the Sarthe once again, but this time as a team. In 2005 and 2006, one of his prototypes took second place. The French drivers, who always compete in large numbers, have been helping to light up the French flag since 1923.
A unique special show in Hall 1 of the Rétromobile will enable visitors to rediscover some of the most beautiful vehicles from French manufacturers and craftsmen who have often enjoyed success on the Sarthe.
Further information can be found on the Rétromobile website.
