THE LESSONS OF LE MANS
THE LESSONS OF LE MANS
Class Victories by Allard, Aston-Martin, and Jowett Jupiter Frazer-Nash
EMANS this year was a striking sm.cuss for British ears and our industry as a whole, and t he individual successful firms of Allard, Aston-Martin. Frazer-Nash and Jowett Jupiter will reap a rich reward. The organisation or this one race per year, the safety arrangements, the permanent grandstand and the Press facilities were superb. That Louis Rosier. Chtunpion of France, won at nearly 00 m.p.h., in spite of a pause to change a valve rocker, lapping at 102.84 nt.p.h. in a Dunlop-shod French car, pleased all Frenchmen, Ina the unkind have it. that this, and team-mate Meyrat’s car that Was second, were merely G.P. Talbots dressed up in road equipment. That is not to decry the driving of these ttwn one iota, but it is nice to reflect that the first sports-type car home was the 5.4-litre Cadillacengine(‘ Allard driven by ‘Font Cole and Sydney Allard, and that; with only top
gear left. Sydney needs no introduction. Cole, as a young Englishman who spent much of his time in the States. liked flying and motor-boat racing, had money and was modest enough to ask plenty of questions before trying his hand with an old Jaguar at Prescott, was obviously going to court success one day. The Allard wasn’t exactly an English catalogue model, and the first car in this category to finish was the AbecassisMacklin Aston-Martin aerodynamic Dl) saloon, for fourth place was occupied by a Healey with a 3.14-litre Nash engine. Aston-Nfartin didn’t finish as a team for, Fairman having crashed one of the precious cars out the way to Le Mans, the practice hack had to be raced and soon objected. But they won their class, at 87.26 m.p.h., and also tied for first place in the great. Biennial Cup Race with a little 612-c.c. Monopole. The Ilrackenbury-Parnell Aston-Martin was
61.11., 41-litre Bentley 8th, a Fraser.
Nash talt and winner of its class at. 82.2 111 spite of a slipping clutch, a Jaguar 1201, Hay’s 41-litre Bentley saloon 141h, another Jaguar 15th, and the Jowett Jupiter. nutking a most impressive first appearance in the hands of Wisdom and Vise, 16th and winner of the 13-litre class at 75.7 m.p.h. A 23-litre Riley Mashed a steady 17th, a special “
TI.’ ” M.G. 18th, a Healey 19th, and a Fraser-Nash 20t1t-T-so we haVe every reason to be proud.
The early stages of the race saw Sommer’s Ferrari and its teant-nuttcs sot a pace they couldn’t retain, and Johnson’s Jaguar well up ; later the power of its twin o.h.c. engine proved too ii tutu for the transmission, after 20 hours racing.
Apart front the Talbot NliCeeNS in the 3 to 5-litre class, only Renault., or French makes, scored a class-win, the popular little rear-engined car winning the 1,100-c.c. division at 60.2 m.p.h. The full story is reflected in the results.