Story and photos from Stan Smith
Stan Smith
As June approaches each year, car enthusiasts have been frequently reminded that there will be American entries in the world-famous 24-hour race at Le Mans, France. This year, there was two Cadillac-powered racers in the top class trying to pull off a win. A couple of NASCAR machines made an appearance, and Chevrolet’s Corvette is always a contender.
It’s been 100 years since the start of this endurance race, and for the first five years, entries were exclusively from European car manufacturers, each wanting to prove how well its car was built. By 1927, there were a few American cars that came to try their hand at beating the Bentleys. The Stutz and Chrysler racers of that period were, for the most part, private entries of a dealership in France.
The first full-blown American effort was for the 1929 race. It was duPont Motors of Wilmington, Del., which had been in the business of building cars for 10 years, that decided to enter two cars. In 1919, duPont started with a four-cylinder line that gradually evolved into an eight-cylinder series of touring, roadster and sedan models by 1928.
Stan Smith
For the January 1929 New York Auto Show, duPont had a special-bodied two-passenger Speedster on display. A drawing with specifications of a four- passenger version was part of the literature handed out at the show. The new model was termed as the “Speedster – LeMans Model.” This Speedster was upgraded to feature Rudge-Whitworth knock-off wire wheels, three headlamps, a larger-core radiator, two hood straps and a round tail that contained the 45-gallon gas tank and a compartment for the folding top, when down. During the early days of the Le Mans 24-hour race, contestants with a convertible top had to run a required number of laps with the top up.
E. Paul duPont had hired G. Briggs Weaver to design his latest line of cars with the two- and four-passenger Speedsters being offered to the “gentleman sportsman” of the late 1920s. A close friend of E. Paul duPont, a Charles Moran, Jr. — who had raced in Europe during the mid 1920s — was a large influence on entering a duPont in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Also on board was William A. Smith in sales and A.J. Miranda, Jr., who operated a duPont showroom in New York City. Both formerly held similar positions at Mercer of Trenton, N.J., during the 1910s.
Along with duPont’s drivers, there was a crew of mechanics, all of whom wore white uniforms with an American flag patch sewn on front. Both of the “LeMans Model Speedsters” built for the race were painted the official American race color scheme of a white body with blue wheels, trim and upholstery.
Only one of the two cars built was finished in time to be shipped to France so it, along with the two drivers, Moran and Miranda (plus two mechanics), arrived at France in time for preliminary testing at the Linas-Montlhery Autodrome outside of Paris. Later, the team was joined by the drivers who were to drive the second duPont. Allen Carter, who was duPont Motors’ chief mechanic, along with two assistants, also made the trip. The duPont Speedster was assigned No. 2 due to the size of its engine. That meant it would be placed at second position for the standing-start lineup. The Big Six Bentley was in pole position, but it was beat into the first turn by Moran in the duPont. After a number of laps, the duPont was passed by the Bentleys and the Stutz cars while pacing at 72 mph. Following 20 laps or so, it suffered a mechanical failure in the four-speed transmission. Repairs had to be done by only the driver or mechanic with tools on board. Unfortunately, that proved to be impossible, thus the duPont was pulled from the race. Upon returning to New York, this duPont was repainted black with red wire wheels, the signature color scheme used for the Speedsters. The Woodlite headlamps went back on the front of the car and the wheels were returned to the duPont’s standard 20-inch Buffalo wire wheel. This Speedster was then used by Charles Moran, who had an office in the city. According to the duPont Factory Car Record, the second duPont Le Mans Speedster was to be shipped to South America to participate in the 1929 Argentina Grand Prix. There’s no evidence of that happening, and as best we know, neither it nor its twin exist. Of the dozen standard four-passenger duPont Speedsters built, there are three still with us today. They can be seen today in the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, the Collier Collection at the Revs Institute in Naples, Fla., or as a part of the Capricorn Collection in Virginia.
Stan Smith
Some 30 years later, Mr. G. Briggs Weaver became involved with designing the Briggs Cunningham C6R to race at Le Mans. Also during the early 1950s, Charles Moran became the president of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Being a part of the first American team to race at Le Mans, they both must have been very proud to see the all-white race cars of Briggs Cunningham on the circuit at Le Mans, France.
Let’s hope we see some more of that, or at least an American flag on an American entry doing well every June.
– Stan Smith is the author of the book “The Eight Cylinder duPont Motor Car 1928-1932,” which is currently out of print. The author is preparing to write a more in-depth book on the duPont Motor Car covering the years 1919 to 1932.
He notes that the 2019 three-volume book “Twice Around the Clock” by the late Tim Considine covered every American car, person or team that raced at Le Mans from 1929-1979 and may provide more reading to those interested in the topic.
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