There is more to the Le Mans 24 Hours then just the cars
Among the extraordinary elements that may convince you to pay Les 24 Heures du Mans circuit a visit during the event, there are some activities in the area that awaken the imagination and let you dream. Even once the teams have taken off from the start following the official Rolex countdown, there is plenty to see in Le Mans…
A commemoration: "Léon Bollée"
Léon Bollée (1870-1913) is an illustrious man of Le Mans, and the roads and several monuments in Le Mans display his name- for good reason!
Bollée is a French automobile constructer who built his company in Le Mans. He was born curious and was an early inventor, passionate about extreme precision, worried about every detail and in love with well-working mechanisms. In 1889, at 19 years old, he invented the first calculator and in 1896 he conceived of a vehicle with three pneumatic wheels. It was in 1911 that he produced his first 600 vehicles and baptised them “Voiturettes.” He registered this term that he had created himself - his very modern knowledge was a message of the future, even back then.
Bollée was known for being eclectic, interested in anything and everything. He invited the Wright brothers, Mans Orville (1871-1948) and Wilber (1867-1912), the famous American pilots and aeronautic constructors, to Le Mans. These aviation pioneers saw a first class interlocutor in Léon Bollée. The “Flyer III A” demonstrations at Les Hunaudières in 1908 excited curiosity in the local people living in Le Mans. A replica of this first airplane participated in the parade and made an honorary lap around Les 24 Heures du Mans circuit. Descendants of the Bollée family were present and Gérard Bollée, grandson of Léon, drove a 1912 Amédée Bollée with a sequential gear box during the parade. The car was restored by the Musée Automobile de La Sarthe du Mans.
The inestimable treasures and recent acquisitions of the Museum
Among the treasures of the Musée Automobile de La Sarthe, under the direction of Francis Piquera, is a 1938 edition of the first 1935 Peugeot, delivered to the museum on June 11th before the first qualification runs. Baptised in all simplicity the “402 Eclipse” by its creators, this car is a rare object for any collection and will become join the 114 others at the museum, a few of which are unique in the world.
Those with a unique history are the favourites of the director. One car in this category is the blue Matra-Simca MS 670 B, the car that Henri Pescarolo drove to his first Le Mans victory in 1972. “I was 17 years old when I first heard this car run. I could have never believed that one day I would have the keys in my pocket,” laughed Piquera. “Look closely- the body is cracked. It's the impression left behind from the seat of Jean-Luc Lagardère, le président de Matra, made during the parade of Honour.”
Another example can be found in three cars from 1920 to 1930. A Chenard France, a Lagonda GB 1935 and a Bentley 1924, the last of which is an authentic model, winner of Les 24 Heures du Mans in 1924 with Frank Clément and John Duff, and is in perfect condition. “The mechanics inside have resisted the passage of time and she works like a clock,” said Piquera. “In addition, the Peugeot WM1 Walter Maria is a car that you can drive no matter where you are in the world as the steering wheel is right in the middle- a real technological achievement.”
Piquera opens the museum's workshop and reveals a green and white Peugeot-Heuliez, complete with it's original motor. “Here we have the fastest car Les 24 Heures du Mans has ever seen: it got up to 405 km/h.” Then he revealed a secret: “Actually this Peugeot-Heuliez went much faster than that: maybe 410 or even 412 kilometres per hour. But that year, 1988, Peugeot had received the trophy for Car of the Year for the 405 model. So the marketing department put the record speed at 405 km/h to match that. This car will have a special place of honour at the entrance of the museum once the trail runs have finished.”
Special Invite
Strapping and elegant in a dark coloured suit in the middle of Lodge 239 is Californian Darryl Siry. Surrounded by a black window frame and enormous vases used as aquariums, this sophisticated universe belongs to Siry.
The big windows facing the track are wide open and two floors below one can see the first electric roadster, surrounded by curious spectators. “The model you see there is a revolution, an innovation. It's an electric car, completely silent and brought to you by Tesla Motors, a Californian company. There exist 1800 models in the American market and 250 are being prepared to hit the European market as soon as May 2009.”
For the moment, the waiting list for one of these cars has topped 1,000. The distributors are spread between the biggest American urban centres: Los Angles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Miami.
“Of course the Automobile Club de l'Ouest asked us to present the Roadster here- it's an event which fits perfectly into the spirit of Les 24 Heures du Mans. The ACO is always thinking about technological innovations and they want to stimulate their relations with the new technologies of the future. A completely electric car, that emits no pollutants and no carbon, is an interesting project. The car can go for 350 kilometres on one charge and can get up to 200 km/h. The car is fully recharged in 10 hours through a standard electrical outlet and it is equipped with an aluminium frame and a carbon fibre body made in Laval.” Innovation indeed.
Anonymous… or not ?
In his own way, Pierre Louis-Dreyfus has also set a sort of record here at Les 24 Heures du Mans. He has become the doyen of Le Mans drivers and will celebrate his 100th birthday this year. Louis-Dreyfus participated in his first race in 1931. Out of modesty or out of coquetry he had chosen the name “Ano”. His French co-driver had a good sense of humour and without telling Louis-Dreyfus he signed himself up as “Nime”. In French the two words together make “Ano/Nime” which, when pronounced correctly, simply means “anonymous.”
Later on, the banker and wealthy businessman alternated between two other pseudonyms when signing up for the 11 other editions that they participated in, even though they only managed to finish the race on two occasions: 1935 (2nd with an Alfa Romeo 8Ca with henri Stooffel) and in 1953 (18th with the Osca MT 4 with Mario Damonte).
It was just today, June 14th, at 3pm that 55 teams began the 2008 24 Heures du Mans following the Rolex countdown.