Reincarnation of a GP Lorraine Dietrich

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If you had been at Silverstone last Saturday, you would have had to work your way through a crowd to get a close view of the car causing such a stir. Photographer Stuart Matthews had to wait 30 minutes before being able to take this picture. The focus of attention was a 1909 Lorraine Dietrich – the result of a heroic ten year rebuild by car restorer extraordinaire Richard Scaldwell.

Scaldwell told us that ‘his favourite car on the whole planet’ is the 1912 Grand Prix Lorraine Dietrich ‘Vieux Charles Trois’ and its history makes fascinating reading, but his car comes from the time immediately after de Dietrich had entered cars in the 1907/8 French Grand Prix and Arthur Duray won the 1906 Circuit de Ardennes. Duray was not only a racing driver but also built experimental racing cars (remember he featured recently in the story of the 1911 FIAT S76?). Scaldwell is from the same mould and his other tour de force is the 5 Litre 1919 V8 J.A.P GN.

Photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue was just 11 years old when he drew this picture of his hero Duray in 1907, with another picture here, and in 1905 captured this image of Duray and his mechanic Franville at the Circuit d’Auvergne.

Having discovered the bare bones of his ’09 De Dietrich, Scaldwell spent ten years searching for and making additional parts, and his methodical research was an essential element in achieving the magnificent result we see today. Geared to do 110 mph at 1500 rpm, the 16½ Litre OHV Colossus is entered for its debut competition at Chateau Impney Hill Climb where it will be up against The Beast of Turin with its 28 Litre OHC engine – also hardly run-in.

(Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy Richard Scaldwell, Dave Biggins, Stefan Marjoram and Stuart Matthews)

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