Tag Archives: Reims
The Prince’s Maserati
This is the well-known prewar driver “B. Bira” now racing postwar in his latest car, a new Maserati 250F in its first race, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on June 20, 1954. Of course the real name of “B. Bira,” or Prince Bira as he was sometimes known , was actually Prince Birabongse Bhanudej […]
Le Grand Prix de Reims
Here is a marvelous photo of the famous Italian driver Luigi Villoresi at full speed in a Maserati 4CL along the main straight at the Reims-Gueux public road circuit on July 6, 1947, the first Grand Prix event held there after the War. These days were before helmets were required and Villoresi just has a […]
On the Way to a Sweep
Before the war color photographs at motor races were very, very rare. The available film was very slow – its ASA rating of 8 made action shots almost impossible. In addition, the magazines of the time which covered motorsport did not print color images as to do so was too expensive. Nevertheless, some enterprising photographers […]
In the Fields of Reims
Here is that famous team manager of Mercedes-Benz, Alfred Neubauer, on the grid at the public road circuit of Reims-Gueux before the French Grand Prix on July 3, 1938. Naubauer is standing next to the Mercedes W154 which will be driven by Hermann Lang to third place behind his teammates Manfred von Brauchitsch and Rudolf […]
An Aussie Victory
This victory celebration, with Jack Brabham in the midst of his mechanics and well-wishers, is taking place in the pit lane of the Reims Grand Prix circuit on July 3, 1960. The pit lane at Reims was then very narrow, as it remains on this ancient circuit today, with no separation from the slightly downhill […]
The New Mercedes-Benz
This very streamlined Formula 1 car is the initial version of the Mercedes-Benz W196 as it first appeared at the French Grand Prix at Reims on July 4, 1954. This particular W196, sitting in the Reims pits during practice, was to be driven by Karl Kling with second and third examples being driven by Juan […]
Luigi Villoresi
The Grand Prix de Reims was a non-championship race held on the triangular Reims public road grand prix circuit, which was also the usual site of the French Grand Prix. In 1947 this race was held on July 6 and used the layout which ran through the village of Gueux. Note that a helmet was not […]
Reims 1939
It is the morning of July 9, 1939 in front of the tribunes at the Grand Prix circuit of Reims, laid out on a roughly triangular series of public roads which also passed through the small village of Gueux. The car, shown as it approaches the grid, is a Maserati 4CM with a 1500cc 16 valve motor […]
The Village of Gueux
This is Louis Chiron, driving a Talbot T26C grand prix car and braking for the tight corner in the center of picturesque Gueux village on the old version of the Reims circuit, as used up to 1952. As originally configured, the circuit of Reims-Gueux, as it was then known, used public roads and had a […]
The French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was first run back near the very start of motor racing in 1906. For many years, both before and after World War II, this Grand Prix was held on a triangle of public roads near the city of Reims. The Reims circuit, famous for the very high speeds obtained there, held its […]
Klemantaski Collection 