wheels

Run of the Mille At the Richard Mille–sponsored Classic, owners of vintage racecars have the opportunity to reprise their cars’ glory days. by laurie kahle

n a private lounge overlooking the funny, because I love classic cars, but I am not start/finish line of the — fond of antique .” I the racetrack in Le Mans, —Richard Mille’s watches do display a penchant for Mille, president and CEO of his eponymous cutting-edge designs, often ones that include company, mingled with his guests. references to racecars. And his Behind Mille, Le Mans, the quintessential rac- presence in July at Le Mans spoke to his pref- ing movie, played on 26 television screens erence in autos. He was there to see three mounted on the ceiling along the top of an jewels from his four-car collection compete in expansive glass wall. “Men who love watches the Le Mans Classic, a biennial event that Mille love cars,” said Mille, a Frenchman in his mid- has sponsored since its inception in 2002. 50s whose slight build and exuberant nature Among the VIPs in Mille’s suite were Jean make him well-suited for the cockpit. “It’s Todt—the current director of

About 400 cars compete on the Circuit de la Sarthe during the Le Mans Classic, while many more are on exhibit.

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and a former CEO of Ferrari—and 1979. The most valuable vehicle at this says, “you cannot race them for too Formula One driver , for year’s Classic was a 1966 Ferrari 330 long or you can destroy them. So we whom Mille named his RM 009 P3, said to be worth about $20 million. limit each race to 45 minutes for each Felipe Massa tourbillon and RM 011 The lineup also included an aluminum- grid, and each of the six grids runs Felipe Massa flyback chronograph (see body 1968 American Howmet pow- three races, for a total of 18 races.” Like “Enduring Design,” page 356). Other ered by a helicopter turbine engine. the race for which the track is famous, guests wore jeans, sneakers, and five- Four-hundred cars, divided into six the Classic spans a 24-hour period and and six-figure watches. They con- groups, or grids, competed this year. features exhilarating after-dark heats. versed while sipping Champagne and “It’s impossible to mix together cars nibbling canapés, and when the cars from the 1920s with cars from the on the video screens in Mille’s sped past the suite’s glass wall, they 1970s, because there is a big split dif- suite, as Le Mans continued to play, turned their attention to the track. ference,” explained event organizer actress Elga Andersen asked actor Steve The cars represented the models that Patrick Peter, who described himself McQueen, “But what is so important have raced at the as a very bad driver with a small col- about driving faster than anyone else?” from its inaugural year, 1923, through lection of cars. “With older cars,” he Mille and his guests would likely con- sider such a question rhetorical. Never­ theless, McQueen’s character offered his answer. “A lot of people go through life doing things badly,” he said in the impassive manner that was his trade- mark. “Racing is important to men who do it well. When you’re racing, it’s life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.” Perhaps because he hasn’t done things so badly beyond the track, Mille, like several other owners, hired profession- als to drive his cars during this year’s race (though he has driven at past

The nearly 8.5-mile-long circuit includes twists, turns, and straightaways that lead from the spectator stands to forest and back again.

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Mans victories. They included Jan Lam­ mers, a 20-time Le Mans participant who won in 1988 in a Jaguar XJ-R9, and four-time winner Henri Pescarolo. Vanina Ickx, daughter of Formula One driver and Le Mans champion Jacky Ickx (dubbed “Mister Le Mans” for his record six victories), was listed as a pilot for a half-dozen cars. Other driv- ers included ’s presi- dent and CEO Georges-Henri Meylan and board member Olivier Audemars, who took turns behind the wheel of a 1970 Porsche 914/6 GT. The next event will take place in July 2010. A would-be participant can submit photographs of his classic car, a nonrefundable $6,833 entry fee, and a detailed application outlining the car’s features, history, and significance in relation to Le Mans; anecdotes about its performances there are particularly welcome. The race’s selection com- mittee meets regularly to choose the most impressive and interesting cars for each grid. “You have extremely wealthy peo- ple next to those who may have spent all their money to renovate a car and make it run,” said Mille, who estimated that the total value of the cars com- peting at this year’s Classic was more than $1 billion. “Everyone respects everyone here. There is no snobbish attitude. I love to see people racing. And they really race; they don’t play here. They are courageous to put cars of such high values on the track and push them. I hate car museums; they are sad, like death. I prefer to have those cars breathing and going fast like they did in the old times.”

events). René Arnoux and Shinji this year, has built cars that appeal to the classic race drew more than Nakano piloted his 1971 Lola T70 Mille because of their sophisticated and 80,000 spectators, and there was more MKIII; Anthony Beltoise, Arnoux, progressive designs. “They were the for them to enjoy than just the bone- and Nakano drove his 1972 Lola first to make a rigid-aluminum chas- buzzing roar of 500-plus hp engines. T290; and Dominique Guenat and sis,” he said, noting that Lola founder Dozens of clubs representing more Yvan Mahé took turns behind the Eric Broadley designed the GT 40 than 40 automakers exhibited almost wheel of his 1971 MS660. Lola, Ford in 1963. 7,000 cars, and the Le Mans Heritage a prolific English racecar manufacturer Eight of the drivers at this year’s Club competition drew 24 cars that that is celebrating its 50th anniversary Classic had claimed 24 Hours at Le had raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

At this year’s Classic, enthusiasts from dozens of clubs displayed nearly 7,000 cars and had the chance to drive exhibition laps.

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To To mark this year’s Le Mans a chassis and engine to comple- ment the other’s function, Mille movement, the watch’s conceived case, and dial so that together they enhance the perfor- watch’s The mance. double- movement’s long-term improves system barrel torque stability by using more rotational turns, which reduces teeth, the frictionon and pressure and pivots. bearings, Classic Mille race, produced 300 limited-edition RM 011 Le Mans - chro flyback Massa Felipe Classic The Lola is very powerful. powerful. very is Lola The “Driving the track is unbelievable,” “Driving the track is unbelievable,” more more than it 500 goes hp, more than 300 kilometers per These hour. are toys.” dangerous Passing Passing under the , Straight, Mulsanne the into accelerating the through throttle full at cruising and is forest a rare treat for racers and the fans who can score a pass to a take few club cars. laps in one of the exhibiting said Mille, recalling a time when he piloted one of his Lolas around “At the the circuit. same frightit’s time, - ening. Le Mans Classic, www.lemansclassic Richard Mille, 310.205.5555, www.richardmille.com “Like in Formula One, there is a huge amount of development and development of amount huge a is there One, Formula in “Like nograph watches—150 pieces in full titanium ($95,000) and 150 in red gold and The titanium design ($100,000). is distinguished by a white- the and dial the of edge the around flange carbon-fiber green at 12 o’clock. Le Mans Classic logo and-green-checkered testing devoted to producing just a small says number of watches,” “And everything Mille. that goes into an F/1 car is translated into — in the watches.” just like performance, extreme TV,” he TV,” said. “Today’s wheels The permanent The track permanent at Le Mans is captivated captivated by the nostalgia and - mys about “What I love tique of Le Mans. Le Mans is that come allback from when I my was young, memories seeing it on in race People concrete. just tracksare places that look like stadiums. In Le in drive you between the trees, Mans, beauti- so It’s forest. the of middle the ful with the shadow of the trees on the track.” only about 5 kilometers long (about 3 but for held the event 24-hour miles), each June—and the Classic race—the the miles, 8.5 to nearly expands circuit world’s longest, including a section of the main road from Le Mans Tours. to Enduring Design The caption goes here the caption goes here the caption 8

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“Le “Le Mans Classic is not at all like Mille hears music in the cacophony the in hearsmusicMille For his 2005 breakthrough RM breakthrough 2005 his For Mille years later, followed the Two RM 009 with another time- robb report These included an Alpine which the won Best A442B, of Show Renault award for authenticity, track record, condi- general and design, innovation, the after years 30 came honor the tion; 24 Hours of Le Mans victory. car’s clin- is everything where One, Formula “Here you can said touch Mille. ical,” the and see cars, and hear them—450 ages. all and origins all of cars the cars are made using computers; if you take the away colors and sponsors on an F/1 grid, they all look the same. a by made were bodies car past], [the In design.” each a pure hand; man’s of the vintage car engines, and he is allel between Formula One cars and high-performance watches: Both types of machines have to stress, with cope to engineered be and shocks. friction, 009 Felipe Massa, the (less made ever watch mechanical lightest than 30 grams, or just over one ounce, without the strap), Mille materialsuses such lightweight as carbon aluminum-lithium, fiber, and aluminum AS7G–siliciumcarbide, a composite that endure extreme heat can and The stress. watch, a tourbillon that can withstand regular vibrations and is shocks, named for the Brazilian on the FerrariF/1 driver team. the RM 011 Massa Felipe flyback piece dedicated to the F/1 driver, features movement automatic skeletonized watch’s The chronograph. which the allows mainspring to be set rotor adjustable geometry, so that it suits Just the activity as level. wearer’s F/1 engineers design r i c h a r d

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