Reims - Automobile Museum and the old Reims-Gueux Grand Prix Circuit - An A to Z

 

This wonderful poster for the 1954 French GP at Reims, in the museum, was painted by Géo Ham. 

Reims is a mecca for enthusiasts of French cars and motor racing.  I have visited the pits at the old circuit many times, with my first visit in 1970 and my most recent visit in 2022.  This year I made my first visit to the Automobile Museum in Reims.  This post contains 26 reasons why you might want to visit both.  All of the old cars can be seen in the museum which was founded in 1986 to house the collection of Philippe Charbonneaux.  The circuit was on public roads so can be seen at any time.  All photos of the circuit and museum were taken in 2022.

The circuit was used for car racing between 1926 and 1969 and held a World Championship F1 race eleven times.  Famous winners of major events at this circuit included Nuvolari, Fangio, Ascari, Moss, Hawthorn, Brabham, Clark, Rindt and Stewart.

If visiting Reims you might want to time your visit with a number of events -

Late January - the start of the Historic Monte Carlo Rally in Reims.  Click here for pictures.

April - the Rallye Epernay Vins de Champagne in a nearby town.  Click here for pictures.

December - Habits de Lumiere in the nearby town of Epernay.  Click here for pictures.

A = Alba

Alba was a French marque that made cars between 1913 and 1928 in Suresnes, which is in the western suburbs of Paris.

1919 Alba Type R

B = Berliet

1928 Berliet D68 with Delage coachwork.

C = CIME

1929 CIME A2 Cabriolet Bordino.  CIME stood for Compagnie Industrielle de Moteurs à Explosion.

D = D.F.P.

1908 D.F.P. - Doriot Flandrin Parant.  Car made in Courbevoie near Paris.

E = Esso 

A sign on the old Reims circuit in the pits.

F = Fournier-Marcadier

1970 Fournier Marcadier Barzoi.   About 70 of these French kit cars were sold.  They were rear engined and powered by a Renault Gordini 8 motor.  Heavily influenced by Colin Chapmans Lotus.

G = Genestin

1924 Genestin G6 2 seater sports car made in Fourmies France and sometimes used for racing.

H = Hotchkiss

1934 Hotchkiss 411.  It's factory made body work was called Côte d'Azur and had 2 doors and 5 seats.  The styling was regarded as quite aerodynamic for the time.

I = Igol

Igol is a French manufacturer of engine oils and lubricants since 1949.  They still produce products for motor racing and rallying.

'Huiles Igol' advert above one of the pit boxes at Reims.

J = Jouets

Jouet is the French word for toy and there are plenty in the museum.

The Reims Automobile Museum has quite a collection of toy cars.  I wish I had had one of those Lotus F1 cars when I was young!

K = Kart Kali

The 1984 100cc kart of Catherine Lefebvre made by Italian manufacturers Kali.  Other drivers of Karts made by Kali included Michael Schumacher and Alex Zanardi.  Behind is an Alpine Renault A310.

L = La Licorne

1947 Licorne 164 LR.  Licorne is French for unicorn..  The marque ended in 1949 having produced cars since 1901.  

M = Marilyn Monroe

Not sure what Marilyn was doing in the museum!  Probably it was to do with the 1952 De Soto (inset)  previously owned by MGM studios that is now in the museum.

N = Nostalgie

Detail from a sixties Reims poster seen at the old circuit.

O = Open Cockpit Single Seater

A 1991 Formula Renault Swift DB5.

P = Peugeot Radovitch

A 1958 Peugeot 403 with 2 door, 4 seat cabriolet bodywork created by Radovitch between 1958 and 1959.

Q = Quantum

1996 Quantum XR2 cabriolet, a fibreglass kit car based on a Ford Fiesta.

R = Rosengart

1938 Rosengart LR 4 N2 Super 5.  The motor was derived from the Austin Seven under licence from the British manufacturer.  The LR4 model was an improved model over the LR2 which had been an Austin 7 copy.

S = Suere

1925 Suere D produced in Paris.  The marque started in 1909 and ended in 1930.

T = Thevenin

A 1960 French Caravan

U = L'Union

L'Union was a French newspaper that had its headquarters in Rems.

V = Violet

Created by Marcel Violet, the CIMA-Violet was a French cyclecar (small, light, inexpensive car).  This one is a 1929 model, the A2 of which only 20 were built.  CIMA were best know for building engines for other car builders.

W = Willys Knight

1930 Willys Knight 70A.  Willys was a US automobile company and this one utilized a Knight engine built under licence.  This car was bought and restored in Uruguay..

X = 10 

For its tenth anniversary in 2014 Les Amis du Circuit de Geux brought back to the circuit this marshall's post (le poste des commissaires de piste du Calvaire).  Calvaire was the fast first corner after the start.

Y = Youngtimer

Not of all of the cars in the museum were very old.  This one dates from 1985 but was designed by Gordon Murray.  It was called a Baumann and had a 1.3 litre MG engine and a glass fibre body.

Z = Le Zèbre

1909 Le Zèbre A Serie 2.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

Detail for a poster for the 1967 meeting at Reims.