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Bugatti - Jean-Pierre Wimille
Victories at Le-Mans have always been something special and those who have ever won the 24 hour-race, can be sure of being famous for the rest of their lives. Of course, the car manufacturer become just as famous,
indeed every now and then, the manufacturer of the racing car has to produce a follow-up.
Jean-Pierre Wimille is one of those, who have in fact won twice, in 1937 with Robert Benoist and in 1939 with Pierre Veyron (!) in a Bugatti 57G and a 57C-Tank. This is an unflattering name for several racing cars which
seem
to be cut off above the waistline. There are more other distinctly disadvantageous tank-models from Bugatti than the 1937
winning
car.
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The manufacturer couldn't be held responsible for the blue paint-job, this was allocated automatically because of the, at that time very important, country-identification. Of course, the respective Veyron appears, to a large
extent, in French Carbon-Blue.
To come back to Jean-Pierre Wimille. The son of a journalist, he started his racing career primarily with Bugatti and later, would be taken on as a works-driver by Ettore Bugatti. As he started in 1933, he was successful in
that
same year and then of course, up to the start of the 2nd world war, he notched up several other spectacular racing victories as well.
Of course, it was difficult for Bugatti during the years in the Grand-Prix circus, because the Silver-Arrows, which were sponsored by the state, dominated the racing events. Between 1937 and 1939, Wimille even changed
sides
and went to Alfa Romeo. He spent the time during the war, together with racing driver colleagues in the resistance, he however survived, in contrast to the others.
He actually continued his racing career after the war at Alfa Romeo. Nevertheless, he managed to win his last race in a Bugatti Monoposto Type 59750 B in 1947. He was fatally injured in an accident in Argentina in 1949.
08/14
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