Celebrating 100 years of Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry

Images: Ameya Vikram Mishra

In October, Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry celebrated its 100th anniversary. For the uninitiated, this autodrome hosted the 1000km of Paris endurance race till as late as 1995. Known for its high-speed, banked corners, this legendary racetrack is also where Antonio Ascari lost his life driving an Alfa Romeo P2 during the 1925 French Grand Prix. To say this circuit has a serious racing legacy would be an understatement.

To join the centenary celebrations of this historic venue, we set off early in the morning from the south of Paris in Jean-François Ruchaud's (FIVA Technical Commission Advisor) meticulously maintained 1947 Citroën Traction Avant to arrive right in time to catch the starting grid for the demonstration run of the avant-guerre (pre-war) category which included some fine Bugattis, Bentleys, Alfa Romeos, Rileys and Aston Martins.

Jean-François parked his Traction Avant beside a replica of a very special French-blue, Yacco-liveried Citroën. Back in the day, the Montlhéry Autodrome was the site for setting (and breaking) land speed records. By far the most extraordinary record was set by Citroën in 1933, when its modest 8CV chassis with a 4-pot engine and a tapered body, nicknamed the ‘Petite Rosalie’, ran continuously for 134 days, covering 300,000 kilometres at an average speed of over 93 kph! The Petite Rosalie being a standard production car, the speed record turned out to be a great marketing opportunity for Citroën. Apparently, André Citroën publicly offered three million francs to anyone who broke this record before 1935. Safe to say, Mr. Citroën did not have to part ways with his three million francs.

In my opinion, the Petite Rosalie remains the poster boy (or girl?) of the Montlhéry Autodrome, and it was a delight to see one of the replicas in action on one of the demonstration runs. Unfortunately, none of the original Rosalies exist anymore.

Another special car participating in the demonstration run was a 1925 Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6. Lorraine-Dietrichs dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the mid-1920s, winning the race back-to-back in 1925 and 1926 including a 1-2-3 finish in 1926 – the first manufacturer to ever do so. They beat the likes of Bentley, which would go on to dominate Le Mans in the latter half of the 1920s and Chenard & Walcker, which had won the first edition of the race in 1923.

A true legend of the fabled 24-hour race. These are the kind of things one can only find in France.

Talking about the things one can only find in France, the event also saw enthusiastic participation from Venturi, assembling as many as ten examples, including the famous 400 GT – the first car in the world to feature standard carbon brakes. Seeing all these Venturis together was definitely a sight to behold for any youngtimer enthusiast like me.

While the pre-war bolides may have won the provenance and rarity award, few motorcars can match up to the sound and utter violence to the aural senses of a good old American V8 of the 1960s. This was represented by a Ford GT 40 and a Chevrolet Corvette C3, which were participating in a demonstration run that also included a De Tomaso Pantera and an MG Metro 6R4 wearing the famous ‘Computer Vision’ livery – talk about a mixed-up grid!

Evidently, the event had something to offer for every kind of enthusiast. Interestingly, what caught the attention of our editor, Gautam Sen, was a modest but relatively rare Seat Bocanegra. We got talking to the very passionate owner, who revealed that he had as many as ten of them at one point!

But no French vintage and classic car event would be complete without a Concours d’Elégance à la française. Here, the ‘Best of the Best’ award was won by an ultra-rare 1909 La Licorne. What was truly heartwarming was the FIVA Coup de Coeur presented to a 1956 Renault 4CV accompanied by a caravan.

The Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry remains a symbol of French automotive pride, and for good reason.