Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
The Linas-Montlhéry Autodrome, near Paris, celebrates its centenary at Rétromobile, 2024.
At the end of the First World War, the question arose as to where and when France would have its first permanent automobile circuit. The answer came in 1924 when an industrialist named Alexandre Lamblin began building a speedway in Montlhéry, south of Paris, which had one astonishing characteristic: in places, its banking was too steep to stand upright on. A 12 kilometer road circuit was quickly added to the speed ring, which would become a favorite with French manufacturers and drivers.