This man who is racing towards the finish line while being cheered on by many spectators is no less than Emile Levassor. And he deserves this monument because in 1895 he finished first in the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris road race. But, despite averaging a mind-blowing 15mph, Levassor was denied the first prize of 31000 francs because his car only had two seats in stead of the reglementary four! In September the following year, Levassor was leading the Paris-Marseille-Paris when a dog rushed out in front of his car: Levassor swerved and his car overturned, tipping both him and his mécanicien d'Hostingue into the road. Levassor's chest hit the tiller as he exited the car, smashing a rib and receiving internal injuries. He continued, but had to retire due to the pain. He remained in poor health and suffered a fatal coronary embolism in April 1897. A year after Levassor’s death in 1897, the Automobile club of France commissioned the monument, and selected sculptor Aimée-Jules Dalou, known for his monument to labor, to execute it. Working from contemporary photographs, Dalou made two studies for the piece, from which bronze models were cast. Sometimes called “Monument to the Automobile”, these bronzes, of which there is no precise record of the number made, were sold commercially. Following Dalou’s death, the project was entrusted to his pupil Camille Lefèbvre, who elaborated on Dalou’s design. The final monument resembles a Greco-Roman triumphal arch, except that the arch itself is occupied by the sculptural portrayal of Levassor’s triumph. Finally, ten years after Levassor´s death, the monument was erected at the Porte Maillot in Paris, on the spot of the finish line of the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris road race.



























photos Rutger Booy

April 14, 2007