24h Le Mans
This year, the stand of the FFVE (Fédération Française des Véhicules d’Epoque) at Retromobile celebrates a great history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans of the Lorraine Dietrich.
This year, the stand of the FFVE (Fédération Française des Véhicules d’Epoque) at Retromobile celebrates a great history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans of the Lorraine Dietrich.
"This year we wanted to pay tribute to this great marque Lorraine Dietrich," said Claude Delagneau, President FFVE. Already winner of the Sarthe in 1925, Lorraine Dietrich acheived the following year the first hat-trick of French marque in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time exceeding 2,500 km, while André Rossignol becomes the first win twice at Le Mans (1925-1926). Claude Delagneau also has with another former winner of the 24 Hours of links which he is very proud: "When I was mayor of Metz sur Seine (Seine et Marne), I married Madie and Henri Pescarolo! I met Henri in 1977, when he moved there, and we immediately hit it off. What's funny is that we see a dozen times a year but not more than twice in the town because he is rarely there, and I am no longer! That said, I am very happy that his team re-started because he did not deserve what he suffered."
Claude Delagneau speaks with equal enthusiasm of FFVE "Vintage vehicles, these are not just cars and motorcycles, but also utilities, military, and even tractors. We federate corporations, such as clubs and associations, there are 1125 in the FFVE, representing more than 160,000 collectors. Our mission is to defend them with the public authorities. We are also accredited by the Ministry of Transport to issue registration cards, reserved for vehicles with more than thirty years of age." An easy mission in the green world of today? "Data from road safety and control centres demonstrates that collectors vehicles travel on average only 235 km per year. So we can not say that we are polluters," explained Claude Delagneau. "We are also recognized as a cultural heritage for the past ten years, and utility for two years. France is the country where there is less stress, and where the collector is the happiest! " That is the least we can do in the country that invented the automobile and the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
