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42-453: Each car had to drive sixteen laps (200 kilometres (120 mi)) at an average speed of at least 146 km/h (91 mph) from a standing start. René Dreyfus was hired by Lucy O'Reilly Schell 's Écurie Bleue team to drive a Delahaye 145 in testing and in the competition itself in which he risked death by setting a literally-blistering pace, wearing the special Dunlop tires down to the fabric but handily overwhelming all competitors except

84-523: A Bugatti 35B, painted in what would become known as " British racing green ", he won the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix beating the heavily favoured Mercedes of the German driver, Rudolf Caracciola . Successful financially, Grover-Williams and his wife maintained a home in a fashionable district of Paris while owning a large house in the resort town of La Baule, Pays de la Loire , on the Bay of Biscay , which

126-661: A different place to live and work. Grover-Williams' work name with SOE was "Sebastian." His task for SOE was to create a "sleeper" cell called Chestnut which would prepare to take action against the German occupiers when ordered to do so by SOE. SOE's network in Paris was Autogyro , headed by Pierre de Vomécourt , but in April 1942 the Germans were destroying Autogyro and killing or imprisoning its members. SOE envisioned Chestnut as

168-611: A low-slung attractive roadster body on the old Type 145 chassis. He vanished without paying Franay, who managed to have the car seized. Franay bought it at auction. Since then, two different cars have surfaced with credible claims to be the "Million Franc Delahaye", with two different collectors (Peter Mullin in 1987 for the Mullin Automotive Museum and/or Sam Mann) both claiming the privilege of owning this unique piece of automotive history. Ren%C3%A9 Dreyfus René Albert Dreyfus (6 May 1905 – 16 August 1993)

210-525: A metaphor for war, as the Nazi government of Germany chose this arena to prove their inherent superiority, nationalized the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union racing teams, gave them seemingly unlimited money and ran them like a military campaign. This led to a remarkable era of competition. While many of the best European drivers of the era, for instance Chiron, were hired by the German teams and jumped at

252-579: A replacement for Autogyro, but with the creation of the Prosper network later in 1942, the much smaller Chestnut network became a secondary network in Paris, devoting itself to storing arms for the eventual use of the French resistance against the German occupiers. Grover-Williams recruited two fellow race-car drivers, Robert Benoist and Jean-Pierre Wimille , into his network and the trio used their wives and other women as couriers. The base of their operations

294-592: The Bugatti team. On the last day of the competition, the Bugatti entry, driven by Jean-Pierre Wimille , arrived. After spending most of the day repairing various mechanical problems, the Bugatti took to the track for its run towards sundown, accompanied by Dreyfus in the Delahaye in an attempt to protect his incipient victory. The two drivers pushed each other to incredible speed until the Bugatti once again broke under

336-1092: The Italian Campaign . After the war, in 1945 he became an American citizen and brought his brother Maurice back to New York, where they opened another French restaurant, " Le Chanteclair ." This soon became the semi-official New York meeting spot for the world's automobile racing community, the rivalries of the past having been overcome by the spirit of fraternity. It continues today as the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society, officially founded in March 1957 and which meets monthly at Sardi's in NYC. ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) William Grover-Williams William Charles Frederick Grover-Williams (born William Charles Frederick Grover , 16 January 1903 – 18 March 1945 (or shortly thereafter)), also known as "W Williams" ,

378-637: The United Kingdom . After the war, Frederick Grover moved the family to Monte Carlo . It was there that William developed a fascination for automobiles, having been taught to drive a Rolls-Royce by his sister's boyfriend. Grover-Williams passed his driving test while in Monaco and was granted a licence . Mechanically inclined and fascinated by motorised vehicles, at the age of 15 Grover-Williams acquired an Indian motorcycle and it became his pride and joy. He would later compete in motorcycle races in

420-412: The "Million Franc Delahaye" was disassembled and hidden by sentimental French patriots to prevent it from falling into German hands, and its later whereabouts became unknown. However, the fact is that Lucy O'Reilly Schell retained ownership of 48771, and her other four V12 engined racecars. She did not allow any "sentimental patriots" permission to dismantle and hide the car. Instead, she consigned it, and

462-620: The 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans . His last race was the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1955, when Stanley "Wacky" Arnolt asked Dreyfus to captain the Arnolt-Bristol Racing Team. Dreyfus led the team to the Sebring Team Trophy and 1–2–3 in class. In 1980 he was invited back to the Monaco Grand Prix to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his victory. At age 75, he personally drove throughout Europe touring all

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504-486: The American racing community's reluctance to see a European win the "Great American Race." Despite suffering numerous substantial setbacks and penalties for not understanding the details of the rules, beginning with their attempts to qualify their two cars, Dreyfus and Le Bègue succeeded in co-driving the one car which they did qualify from the back of the grid to tenth place. Shaw again won the race in another Maserati. In

546-513: The Bugatti to the breaking point, winning the prize for Delahaye. In 1938 Dreyfus drove a Delahaye at Pau , a tight circuit running through village streets, beating the legendary Rudolf Caracciola and his Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow , and becoming a national hero in France. When World War II broke out, Dreyfus joined the French Army , where he served as a truck driver. In 1940, however, he

588-750: The French Croix de Guerre , Grover-Williams was also recommended for an Order of the British Empire by the head of the SOE, Major-General Colin Gubbins , in September 1945, but when it became clear that he had died the honour was not awarded. The Saboteur , a 2009 video game, features an Irish protagonist named Sean Devlin who is inspired by Grover-Williams. A statue of Grover-Williams in his 1929 Monaco Grand Prix-winning Bugatti Type 35

630-477: The Germans, in 1937 the French government announced the 'Prix du Million', or the Million Franc Race . The prize money was a million francs , and in order to ensure that the competition tested each car's ultimate limits rather than just the driver's skill in passing other drivers, the race was a time trial against the clock at the treacherous Autodrome de Montlhéry track, which had taken the life of

672-556: The SOE's Chestnut network which worked near Paris. The Chestnut network organised parachute drops of weapons and equipment from SOE and stockpiled them for the use of the resistance. The German Sicherheitsdienst (SD) captured Grover-Williams in August 1943. He was imprisoned and executed in March 1945. Grover-Williams was born in Montrouge , Hauts-de-Seine , France on 16 January 1903 to Frederick and Hermance Grover. Frederick Grover

714-458: The car, and each drove two stints of approximately 50 laps (125 miles) apiece. Le Bègue started the race and ran approximately laps 1–50 and laps 101–150. Dreyfus piloted the car for laps 51–100 and from 151 to the finish. The pair brought the car home in 10th place, flagged 8 laps down. A rainstorm prompted officials to flag the race after only the first three finishers received the checkered flag. Dreyfus continued to race sporadically, including

756-432: The chance to drive the most advanced cars available, as a Jew this option was not available to Dreyfus. Instead he, like the few other underdogs competing against the German teams, had to defend his nation's pride by dint of heroic skill and daring in inferior machinery. Although France had been the birthplace of automobile racing, it now was a distant third in the racing hierarchy, behind the all-consuming German onslaught and

798-404: The class, and went on to win three consecutive French Riviera championships in the next five years. In 1929 he entered his first professional race, the inaugural Grand Prix of Monaco , finishing first in his class and fifth overall. The following year he won the race outright in a Bugatti, beating by 22 seconds the highly regarded Bugatti factory team, led by William Grover-Williams , winner of

840-648: The collapse of Aupicq's relationship with Orpen, the pair married in November 1929. She was six years older than him. By 1926, Grover-Williams had begun racing a Bugatti in races throughout France, using the alias, "W Williams", entering the Grand Prix de Provence at Miramas and the Monte Carlo Rally . In 1928, he won the French Grand Prix , repeating in 1929. That same year, driving

882-576: The early 1920s, although he kept it secret from his family by adopting the pseudonym, "W Williams". In 1919, the Irish portrait painter, William Orpen became the official artist of the Paris Peace Conference . Orpen bought a Rolls-Royce car and hired Grover-Williams, who had returned to Paris, as his chauffeur . At the time, Orpen had a mistress and model named Yvonne Aupicq. Aupicq and Grover-Williams became good friends and, after

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924-452: The great Antonio Ascari . Driving a Delahaye 145 for the Écurie Bleue team of Lucy O'Reilly Schell in testing and in the competition itself, Dreyfus risked death with a literally blistering pace, wearing the special Dunlop tires down to the fabric but handily overwhelming all competitors except the Bugatti team. On the last day of the competition he again went out on the track versus the Bugatti and again set an incredible pace, until he forced

966-529: The greatest drivers of all time, Dreyfus won 36 races across Europe , including Monaco , Florence , Rheims , Belgium , Cork , Dieppe , Pau , and at Tripoli in North Africa , becoming a French national hero. He acquired a Bugatti and joined the Moto Club de Nice for younger competitive automotive enthusiasts. In 1924 he won his class in the first amateur race he entered, being the only entrant in

1008-666: The meantime, the Germans had overrun Paris, and as a Jew who had famously humiliated the German racing effort, Dreyfus was advised by the French government not to return to occupied France . Instead he settled in New York City, where he opened a French restaurant, " Le Gourmet ." Upon the United States entering the war, in 1942 Dreyfus enlisted in the United States Army and served in Europe as an interrogator in

1050-670: The official War Office casualty lists, originally "On or shortly after 1.2.1945" has been amended to read "On or shortly after 18.3.1945", while the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records the date simply as 18 March 1945. After the war, Grover-Williams' widow, Yvonne, eventually settled in the village of Amfreville-la-Campagne in Normandy where she managed a dog kennel breeding terriers . She died in 1973, age 77. Robert Benoist's granddaughter, among others, claimed that William Grover-Williams survived

1092-421: The other V12 racers, with The Wilson Garage's proprietor/owner Fernand Lacour, to be liquidated. Despite 48771 being advertised for sale, in mid 1938, not a single "sentimental patriot" expressed interest in buying it. Lacour secured storage for it in the south of France, near Lucy's new family home in neutral Monaco. The car was sold in 1945 to an unknown Nazi sympathizer, who commissioned Franay to design and build

1134-493: The perennially victorious Italians. Escaping Nazi-occupied France, Dreyfus traveled to the United States to compete in the 1940 Indianapolis 500 alongside fellow Frenchman René Le Bègue . Driving a pair of Maseratis for the American/French owner Lucy O'Reilly Schell , Le Bègue qualified 31st, but Dreyfus was bumped and ended up as the second alternate. On race day, it was decided for the two drivers to split time in

1176-494: The previous year, and Louis Chiron . Realizing that factory cars were always faster than the cars owned by private entrants, Dreyfus reasoned that his only chance of winning lay in avoiding refueling stops, so he had additional fuel tanks added to his car with the intent of running the race without stop. This was not common practice at the time, since it was felt that fatigue would make it impossible, but Dreyfus' strategy proved correct. The next few years saw Grand Prix racing become

1218-402: The sites of his racing career, receiving public celebration and honors at each stop. At the banquet following the race, he was brought to the stage to sit once again in the Bugatti in which he had won, half a century earlier. He was also Grand Marshal of the 1980 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen . In an effort to induce manufacturers to develop new cars which would be competitive with

1260-515: The strain, ensuring Delahaye the prize. The victorious Delahaye 145, known as the "Million Franc Delahaye", was driven by Dreyfus in 1938 at the Pau Grand Prix , a tight circuit running through village streets, where he beat the legendary Rudolf Caracciola and his all-conquering 480 hp (358 kW) Silver Arrow , becoming a national hero in France. One story tells us that when the Germans seized control of France during World War II,

1302-689: The victory by Nazi Germany in the Battle of France . Due to his fluency in both French and English, he was recruited into the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in autumn 1940. SOE trained him to be an agent and promoted him from private to second lieutenant. On 29 May 1942, Grover-Williams and another SOE agent, Christopher Burney , parachuted "blind" (with no reception committee on the ground) into France near Le Mans . Grover-Williams proceeded to Paris where he reunited with his wife, Yvonne, but, for security reasons, he found himself

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1344-623: The war and lived with Yvonne from 1948 until her death under the assumed identity of "Georges Tambal." Tambal was killed by a German driver while riding a bicycle in 1983. Grover-Williams is recorded on the Brookwood Memorial in Surrey , England, and as one of the SOE agents who died for the liberation of France, he is listed on the Valençay SOE Memorial 's Roll of Honour in the French town of Valençay . Awarded

1386-646: Was a British Grand Prix motor racing driver. He is best known for winning the first Monaco Grand Prix . During World War II, Grover-Williams, code named Sebastian, worked as an agent in France for the clandestine British Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization. SOE's objectives were to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in countries occupied by the Axis powers, especially those occupied by Nazi Germany . SOE agents allied themselves with French resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment. Grover-Williams created, coordinated, and led

1428-472: Was a French racing driver active during the 1930s and 1940s. Dreyfus was born and raised in Nice to a Jewish family. He showed an early interest in automobiles, learning to drive before the age of nine. The middle of three children, his brother Maurice served as his business partner in his youth, and his manager in his racing career. Driving Maseratis , Ferraris , Delahayes , and Bugattis against some of

1470-512: Was abruptly sent by the French government to the United States to represent France by driving a Maserati in the Indianapolis 500. Although the previous year's race had been won by a Maserati driven by American Wilbur Shaw , neither Dreyfus nor his team partner René Le Bègue was familiar with the mechanical requirements and the very different rules of racing at Indianapolis; this problem was exacerbated by both drivers not knowing English, and by

1512-616: Was also able to organize an effective sabotage effort at the Citroën factory in Paris. Grover-Williams' downfall began 31 July 1943 when a German direction-finding van pinpointed the location of Dowlen and his radio and arrested him. On 1 August, Maurice Benoist, brother of Robert, was arrested. The next day Maurice Benoist led the German Sicherheitsdienst (SD) to the Benoist chateau at Auffargis . Grover-Williams

1554-580: Was an English horse breeder who had settled in Montrouge. Frederick met a French woman, Hermance Dagan, and they were soon married. Their first child was Elizabeth, born in 1897. William had two other siblings – Alice and Frédéric. Born to an English father and a French mother, Grover-Williams grew up fluent in both French and English . When William was eleven, during World War I , his parents sent him to live with relatives in Hertfordshire , in

1596-539: Was forbidden. Contrary to that policy, Agazarian transmitted Chestnut's messages to London. Starting in mid-February, Grover-Williams organized with SOE six parachute drops of weapons and other supplies for the French resistance . In March 1943, SOE finally sent Grover-Williams a radio operator of his own, Roland Dowlen. The arms and other supplies the Chestnut network had received were stored for future use. Grover-Williams

1638-459: Was found hiding in a stable and arrested. The Germans recovered many containers of arms and equipment at the chateau. The Germans captured Robert Benoist on 4 August, but he escaped. When Grover-William's wife, Yvonne, learned of his arrest, she fled Paris and took refuge with friends in the village of Thorenc . After his capture, the Germans took Grover-Williams to SD headquarters at 84 Avenue Foch in Paris for interrogation. In January 1944, he

1680-573: Was home to one of the annual Grand Prix races. In 1931, he won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps . He also won the Grand Prix de la Baule in three consecutive years (1931 to 1933). He retired from racing in 1933. On 28 February 1940, Grover-Williams enlisted in the British Royal Army Service Corps and worked as a driver in France. In June 1940, he was evacuated from Dunkirk to England after

1722-661: Was sent to Berlin and imprisoned at the Reich Security Office , notorious for the tortures committed on prisoners. In March 1944 he was transferred to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp . In March 1945, the Nazi government decreed "special treatment" for a list of political prisoners, including Grover-Williams. Grover-Williams was executed at Sachsenhausen in the spring of 1945, along with fellow SOE network leader Francis Suttill . The date of death shown on

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1764-697: Was the Benoist family estate near Auffargis about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Paris . Grover-Williams' main problem was that SOE did not supply him with a radio operator for communications with SOE headquarters in London. This problem was partially solved in January 1943 when Grover-Williams established contact with Jack Agazarian , the newly arrived radio operator for the Prosper Network. SOE policy dictated that each network should have its own radio operator and that contact between and among networks

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