Montlhery's historic GP races to recall l'Age d'Or

The major annual event of the French Historic racing calendar, the Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or, takes place at the charismatic old Linas-Montlhery speedbowl outside Paris on June 21-22, the same weekend as Goodwood’s Festival of Speed.

More than 2500 classic cars are expected to arrive at the track where 300 competitors — in cars spanning 75 years — will race on the road course and part of the banking.

Home-grown Amilcars and Bugattis are ranged against ‘blower’ Bentleys in the Vintage events, while the Ford vs Ferrari battles of the 1960s are re-enacted in the Prototype races.

Montlhery, built in 1923, boasted its own showpiece in the 1960s, the 1000km GT race. This will be celebrated with a representative grid of howling Jaguar Es, Aston Martins, Ferraris and Bizzarinis.

Special displays this year cover 50 years of Ferrari (Briton David Piper is taking four prototypes), while a round of the frenetic Lotus Seven series celebrates 40 years of the car which launched the careers ofJean-Herre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo.