18-03-2019, 09:48 AM
(This post was last modified: 19-03-2019, 08:04 AM by Nick Salmon.)
Re - Duncan Grimmond's earlier post of a picture of the Salmson and the 'lady' driver.
Duncan - There's something very interesting about this...
A bit of digging reveals that Albert Derancourt was the son of 'Albertine' Derancourt, a pre-war lady racing driver and contemporary of Helle Nice 'The Bugatti Queen'.
His mother was born in 1886 as Marie Leonie Ponchon and married M. Derancourt who owned a garage at Etampes, 50kms south of Paris. Whether Albertine was a nickname or whether she actually changed her name is unclear but her son, Albert, born in 1915, was giving public driving demonstrations (in a Salmson) at the age of 6 and became extremely well known in France and in America - where Hollywood gave him a role in a Jackie Coogan film.
At 7 years of age he drove at 130kms/hr at Montlhery. Then, at 16, he apparently captured a world speed record (210kms/hr) in an Austin! Of this endeavour, I can find nothing. Does anyone know more?
Albert died in a flying accident in 1955.
Duncan - There's something very interesting about this...
A bit of digging reveals that Albert Derancourt was the son of 'Albertine' Derancourt, a pre-war lady racing driver and contemporary of Helle Nice 'The Bugatti Queen'.
His mother was born in 1886 as Marie Leonie Ponchon and married M. Derancourt who owned a garage at Etampes, 50kms south of Paris. Whether Albertine was a nickname or whether she actually changed her name is unclear but her son, Albert, born in 1915, was giving public driving demonstrations (in a Salmson) at the age of 6 and became extremely well known in France and in America - where Hollywood gave him a role in a Jackie Coogan film.
At 7 years of age he drove at 130kms/hr at Montlhery. Then, at 16, he apparently captured a world speed record (210kms/hr) in an Austin! Of this endeavour, I can find nothing. Does anyone know more?
Albert died in a flying accident in 1955.