A Citroën DS 23 prepared for the rally in a chicane at Montlhéry where its hydropneumatic suspension works wonders!
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
We continue with post war racing at Montlhéry.
After the war, competitions gradually resumed with the main races being the 1000 Kilometers of Paris and the Coupes du Salon, organized in parallel with the Paris Motor Show and the entrants in the Centennial Festival reflected those events. In addition, there were concours shows which attracted more entrants and spectators.
An Alpine A110 in full attack on the road portion of the Montlhéry circuit.
An Alpine-Renault A110 Group 4 with its Tour de Corse stickers.
One of the few original De Tomaso Pantera Group 4s, this one having taken part in the preliminary tests for the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans in the hands of Herbert Müller.
The famous Swiss team Scuderia Filipinetti entered Fiat 128 coupés in racing in the early 1970s.
Scuderia Filipinetti also entered the 2-litre Lola T290 in the Group 6 category.
We would have liked to see the Peugeot 404 diesel which, in June 1965, broke 40 international records at Montlhéry. But it was this coupé version of the 404 that represented it.
Peugeot engineer Gérard Welter, with Meunier, hence the name WM, launched the WM P70 in 1970. It was the beginning of the WM adventure which enjoyed great success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This car is a faithful replica, the original having disappeared.
After his F1 career, Jean-Pierre Beltoise entered the French “Production” championship, which was very popular at the time. In 1981, he drove this 505 with a 2-litre, 190 horsepower engine, with which he finished 5th in the championship.
After a 20-year hiatus, the 1000 Kilometers of Paris was held again in 1994. It was this Venturi 600 LM that won in the hands of Jean-Claude Basso, again at the wheel, and Henri Pescarolo. A final edition took place in 1995.
Motorcycling also plays a large part in the history of the circuit. Here in action on a BSA is former endurance motorbike rider Philippe Monneret, whose father Georges himself won here and broke many records.
In the early 2000s, it became increasingly difficult and expensive to adapt the circuit to the evolution of modern competition vehicles and in 2004, it was no longer approved and its future was then in jeopardy. Thanks to the efforts of an association sponsored by many French drivers such as Pescarolo, Beltoise, and Andruet, work was undertaken and a new homologation was issued in 2010 but there was no longer any question of competition at Montlhéry, only non-competition driving.
For safety reasons, the circuit had to adapt and, nowadays, it is no longer a question of speed races but only of demonstration and rolling. A chicane has been installed in front of the main grandstand, at the point where the road circuit separates from the speed ring.
Montlhéry still delights owners of fast cars like this 1st generation Renault 5 Turbo.
It was in this context that the Centenary Festival took place, allowing many enthusiasts to revive this high place in the history of the automobile.
Apart from the on-track demonstrations, other activities were offered to spectators, such as a car elegance competition.
Born in France in the early 1920s, many concours of elegance are still organized today. The French Federation of Vintage Vehicles (FFVE) organized the final of this year’s elegance competitions in Montlhéry, bringing together the winners of concours held in different cities in France. Here, let’s take a look at some of the participants.
This 1958 Renault 4 CV and its caravan evoke holidays and the famous Nationale 7 leading from Paris to the South of France.
A 1938 Talbot T15 Sport cabriolet Milord.
Delaunay-Belleville was a French luxury brand whose main activity was the production of industrial boilers. It is to the cylindrical shape of the tubes of these boilers that we owe the circular radiator grill of this P4B from 1924 which obtained 5th place in the Montlhéry competition.
In this type of competition, the outfit of the crew is just as important as the car. This Delage D6 70 cabriolet Milord by Coachcraft (London) and its owners obtained 4th place in the competition.
A second place crowned the efforts of the owners of this 1933 Voisin C24 Charquatre, already winners of the Vittel elegance competition earlier this year.
In order to involve the younger generation, a junior jury was set up and it awarded its prize to this 1930 GAR B5, which until recently was part of the collection of the late Peter Mullin.
Already crowned at the Bourg-en-Bresse Automobile Elegance Competition, it was this 1909 La Licorne OX, the oldest car in the competition, which won first prize for the final of the competitions in Montlhéry.
Is that a Chrysler underneath the Farris wheel ? Thanks for allowing us the opportunity to experience this wonderful event.
It’s a 1959 Imperial.