Grand Prix de Pau

Pau, 10 Apr 1950

All cars are 1.5-litre s/c F1 or 4.5-litre F1^† unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1599] (Juan Manuel Fangio): Built in 1949 for Automovil Club Argentina and under the ACA's "Scuderia Achille Varzi" banner raced by Fangio and others. Raced occasionally in Europe 1950 by Fangio then to South America 1950-52 for various ACA drivers. A car with this number discovered in Argentina in 2002. Owned by Daniel Sielecki (Argentina) 2002.
2. Ferrari 125 (Luigi Villoresi): As well as the three known 1949 works 125s, 08C, 10C and 12C, a fourth car appeared for Villoresi at the Circuito di Garda F2 race on 10 July 1949, for Landi at Bari and Monza and for Bonetto at the supporting F2 race at Lausanne on 27 Aug. It would then be one of the SWB swing axle 125s renumbered and sold for 1951.
3. Talbot T26C [110 001] (Louis Rosier): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 001' was raced by Louis Rosier from 1948 to 1950 and then under the Ecurie Rosier banner by Pozzi in 1950; by Henri Louveau and Louis Chiron in 1951; and by Giraud-Cabantous, Chaboud and Mairesse in 1952. It was acquired by the Musée Henri Malatre at Rochetaillé, France, in 1956 and was still on display in 1990.
4. Ferrari 125 (Raymond Sommer): For the first part of the 1950 season, one of the 1948/49 cars was loaned to Raymond Sommer for the French races including Monaco. It was painted light blue and may also have been the car used by Sommer at San Remo, which alternatively was a works car. The blue car was returned to the factory in June. This is most likely to be 08C or 12C but a definitive identification has not yet been possible.
5. Simca-Gordini T15 [0014-GC] (Robert Manzon): Completed late 1949 and run by works for Manzon in 1950 and 1951, including in F1 events with supercharged engine. Rebuilt 1952 as sportscar 0019 and raced by Bordoni in Mille Miglia with 2.3-litre 6-cyl engine. In Musée Nationale 1983 but apparently not by 1993. More recent history unknown.
6. Talbot T26C [110 005] (Pierre Bouillin ("Levegh")): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 005' was raced by 'Levegh' from 1948 to 1951 and by Grignard once in 1951. Retained by the works until it was sold to Otto Zipper in the US in 1957. Then to the Briggs Cunningham museum via two other US owners to Tony Wang 1988.
7. Simca-Gordini T15 [0011-GC] (Maurice Trintignant): Works car 1949-53, driven by Pollet 1951-53, Simon 1951, and Behra, Bira and Schell 1952. Converted to T15S sports as chassis 16S in 1952. Subsequent history unknown.
8. Talbot T26C [110 006] (Charles Pozzi): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 006' was raced by Georges Grignard in 1948, by Giraud-Cabantous in 1949, Pozzi and Levegh in 1950 and by Jean Blanc in one 1951 hillclimb. Then to Ecurie Belgique in 1951 and retained to 1952. Reappeared in US ownership in 1964 and then via two further US owners to Dean Butler in 1998. Retained 2003. This car was on display at the 2006 Brussels Retro Festival honouring Ecurie Francorchamps.
9. Talbot T26C [110 006] (Georges Grignard): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 006' was raced by Georges Grignard in 1948, by Giraud-Cabantous in 1949, Pozzi and Levegh in 1950 and by Jean Blanc in one 1951 hillclimb. Then to Ecurie Belgique in 1951 and retained to 1952. Reappeared in US ownership in 1964 and then via two further US owners to Dean Butler in 1998. Retained 2003. This car was on display at the 2006 Brussels Retro Festival honouring Ecurie Francorchamps.
10. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1606] (Louis Chiron): Shown in Maserati records as going to Louis Chiron in Monte Carlo 21 Sep 1949. Raced by Chiron through 1950 then to Toni Branca for 1951 and then de Walckiers (who entered Steve Watson and Pilette) for 1952. Reappeared Italy 1960s then via chain of Italian, Belgian, Swiss, German and French owners to 1998. Owned by Bernie Ecclestone from 1998.
11. Talbot T26C [110 008] (Philippe Étancelin): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 008' was Philippe Etancelin's car in 1948 and then passed to Jean Achard November 1950. Achard moved to Brazil, taking the car, and sold it there to Pinheiro Pires who raced it in Brazil from 1951 to 1954. Remains to UK via Colin Crabbe in the 1980s and then via other UK owners to Tony Bianchi c1999. Has been raced in historics up to 2005.
12. Simca-Gordini T15 [0012-GC] (André Simon): Works car 1949 to early 1952. Driven by Trintignant (and possibly Fangio) 1951. Rebuilt 1952 as sportscar 17S and raced at Le Mans with 2.3-litre 6-cyl engine. In Musée de Gérier 1983. More recent history unknown.
13. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1600] (José Froilán Gonzalez): Built in 1949 for Automovil Club Argentina and raced by under the ACA's "Scuderia Achille Varzi" banner Malusardi and Benedicto Campos. Raced in 1950 by Jose Froilan Gonzalez and then 1950-52 by other ACA drivers in South America. Reportedly to Venezuela then via US, Japanese and further US owners to 1996. Owned by Jean-Louis Duret from 1996. Retained 2000.
14. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1611] (Felice Bonetto): Listed in Maserati records as going to Officine A. Maserati 7 Mar 1950 and then Scuderia Milan. Used by Milan for second Milan (Speluzzi)-engined 4CLT and raced in 1950 (for Bonetto at Monza and Godia at Barcelona) and 1951 (Marimon at Reims and Landi at Albi). Subsequent history unknown but one of the Milan-Maseratis is owned by Doreen Fielding in Scotland.

Formula 1 events 1948-1953

The results published here were compiled by David McKinney and Adam Ferrington from a range of sources including Autocourse, Motor Sport and Autosport, as well as the F1 Register's A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 5 covering 1950 and 1951. Individual car identities were then meticulously checked against their enormous libraries of books and photographs, notably Talbot-Lago de Course by Pierre Abeillon, Les Gordini by Robert Jarraud, Gordini – Un Sorcier, Une Equipe by Christian Huet and The History of English Racing Automobiles by David Weguelin.

David has also contributed extensively from his notes on car identities compiled over 40 years of research, Michael Müller has contributed immaculately researched histories of all the 1948-1950 Ferrari 125s, and Doug Nye, both through his books and his personal assistance on HWM, has also been of great help.

Please note that since David's sad death in 2014, Adam and Allen have agreed that these pages will remain unaltered from now on, as a lasting testimony to David's expertise.