BRITISH RACING DRIVER, aviator and powerboat racer Luis Fontés was a virtual unknown when he won the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a studious appearance, he was a daredevil and hellraiser whose drunken antics regularly got him into trouble with the law and culminated in him killing a young motorcyclist, for which he was jailed for manslaughter.
The son of an English mother and a Brazilian father, he was born in Hampstead, London, on Boxing Day in 1912. His father Antonio had prospered during the Brazilian rubber boom and became a property developer, shipping tycoon and London-based government official. Not believing in the formalities of marriage, Antonio started several families and on his death, when Luis was just one, left generous legacies to all the mothers and their children. So it was that on his 21st birthday in 1933, Luis inherited a fortune that enabled him both to take up motor racing and qualify as a pilot.
Early cars included two MGs, a J2 and a J3; he started competing in the latter and quickly showed himself to be competitive. The young novice then bought an Invicta S-type and, despite engine maladies, impressed rival entrant Arthur Fox at the 1934 Ards TT.
However, the wealthy young newcomer's career really took off when he hired an exScuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo 2.3-litre 8C Monza from John Cobb, after the engine in his own MG had failed, and sensationally went on to win the 1935 International Trophy race at Brooklands. He had specifically requested the racing number 13 and painted the car in the generally accepted 'unlucky' green. Reportedly, his post-race party was memorable.
Bu hikaye Octane dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Octane dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
Jem Marsh
The hard-bitten Marcos boss was driven like few others and never knew when he was beaten. Thankfully
Vandamm House
A Mid-Century Modernist masterpiece that was immortalised on celluloid - despite never actually existing
Making light
Alfa Romeo's post-war renaissance began with the 1900 saloon - and matured with Zagato's featherweight coupé version, as Jay Harvey discovers
FULL OF EASTERN PROMISE
Is burgeoning classic car interest in the Middle East good for the global classic market? Nathan Chadwick investigates
Before the beginning
This rare Amazon Green pre-production Range Rover is Velar chassis number 4. James Elliott charts its historically revealing factory restoration
Ben Cussons
As the outgoing chairman of the Royal Automobile Club hands on to his successor, Robert Coucher quizzes him about the evolution of this great British institution
BULLDOG & THE PUPPIES
We gather five motoring masterpieces by avant-garde designer William Towns - and drive all of them
Below the tip of the Audrain iceberg
As the Audrain organisation grows, we take a look behind the scenes at the huge car collection that feeds it
Flying the Scottish flag
Young Ecurie Ecosse driver Chloe Grant gets to grips with the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar C-type at Goodwood. Matthew Hayward is Octane's witness
