Million Franc Race
The Million Franc Race, or ‘Prix du Million’, was an effort in 1937 by the French Popular Front to induce French automobile manufacturers to develop race cars capable of competing with the incredibly advanced German Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union racers of the time, which were backed by the Nazi government in a (largely successful) attempt to dominate the sport, in order to 'prove the superiority of the Aryan race'. The prize money was a million francs, and in order to ensure that the competition tested each car's ultimate limits rather than just the driver's skill in passing other drivers, the race was a time trial against the clock at the treacherous Autodrome de Montlhéry track, which had taken the life of the great Antonio Ascari.
Each car had to drive sixteen laps (200 kilometres (120 mi)) at an average speed of at least 146 km/h (91 mph) from a standing start. René Dreyfus was hired by Delahaye to drive their model 145 in testing and in the competition itself, where he risked death by setting a literally blistering pace, wearing the special Dunlop tires down to the fabric, but handily overwhelming all competitors except the Bugatti team. On the last day of the competition, the Bugatti entry, driven by Jean-Pierre Wimille, arrived. After spending most of the day repairing various mechanical problems, towards sundown the Bugatti took to the track for their run, accompanied by Dreyfus in the Delahaye in an attempt to protect his incipient victory. The two drivers pushed each other to incredible speed, until the Bugatti once again broke under the strain, ensuring Delahaye the prize.
The victorious Delahaye 145, known as the 'Million Franc Delahaye', was driven by Dreyfus in 1938 at the Pau Grand Prix, a tight circuit running through village streets, where he beat the legendary Rudolf Caracciola and his all-conquering 480 hp (358 kW) Silver Arrow, becoming a national hero in France.
When the Germans seized control of France during World War II, the 'Million Franc Delahaye' was disassembled and hidden by sentimental French patriots to prevent it from falling into German hands, and its whereabouts subsequently became unknown. Since then, two different cars have surfaced with credible claims to be the 'Million Franc Delahaye', with two different collectors (Peter Mullin in 1987 for the Mullin Automotive Museum & ?) claiming the privilege of owning this unique automotive piece of history.
References
- Anthony Carter (2011). Motor Racing: The Pursuit of Victory 1930-1962. Veloce Publishing Ltd. pp. 16–18.