The bijou, aerodynamic Moynet LM75 was created by decorated wartime fighter pilot André Moynet, who later became a racer and also a cabinet minister, and Mouton was invited to share it with Marianne Hoepfner and Christine Dacremont in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

“I was approached by a sponsor and was always intrigued by new possibilities,” she says. “The three of us looked after the car throughout the event and came away with a class win (in 21st overall) –a happy memory.

“My outstanding recollection, though, is the rain. We had a small, light car – and I stayed out on slicks in a downpour, passing bigger, more powerful machinery. I could see the pit board instructing me to come in for wets, but I had no intention of doing that because rallying had acclimatised me to such situations. It was quite common that we’d encounter a heavy shower while tackling a stage on slicks, and quick tyre changes weren’t an option in rallying, so I just carried on. The night sessions were quite tricky, and seemed to last a long time, but again I was accustomed to competing in darkness on rallies, so it really wasn’t a problem for me.”

As she never returned to compete, she retains a 100 per cent class-winning record. Wasn’t she tempted to try again?

“You have to remember,” she says, “that I didn’t set out to get involved in motor sport. It’s something that happened by chance so I’ve never had any kind of career plan. I always went along on an event-by-event basis, without any particular objectives. Why didn’t I go back to Le Mans? Very simple – nobody ever asked me. That’s all there is to it.”