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Racing a Rally: the brief career of Mlle. Nadine Lagoute
We understand this picture was taken in 1932 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, but we do not know exactly what the event was. There’s a few possibilities. But before we have a look at these, we can reveal more about the car and its lady driver. It is the 1,300 c.c. Rally N-type voiturette of Mlle. Nadine Lagoute.
We know she entered the car in a variety of events in 1932. There was the course de côte (hill-climb) at La Turbie; the Grand Prix des Voitures Transformables (race for open touring cars) at the Concours d'Élégance de Vichy, where she won a first-in-class; the Rallye Féminin Paris-Saint-Raphaël and the Paris-Juan-les-Pins road race, as well as the Grand Prix Internationale Automobile du Cap d'Antibes-Juan-les-Pins—or are the last two one and the same race?
Anyway, Nadine Lagoute and her pretty Rally car also made it to the twenty-five-lap race at the Circuit de la Garoupe in September, 1932, where she wasn’t the only lady racing. Others included Mme. Novolina de la Case in an Austin Seven and Countess Vittoria Orsini in a Maserati Tipo 26. Another notable driver was Britain's Marcel Lister, who had entered another Maserati Tipo 26. Lister had in fact collected the car from the factory in Bologna just ten days earlier. Perhaps he wasn’t quite used to the car yet, or perhaps it was the earlier rain, which had made the track slippery—the fact is that the Brit crashed his new Maserati in practice. He was thrown out of the car and supposedly landed head-first. He was taken to the nearest hospital in great haste, but there was nothing the doctors could do to save his life.
This put a great strain on the other drivers and several of them decided not to race that day because of Lister’s accident. Among them was Nadine Lagoute. It’s even possible that she ended her racing career completely that day, since we couldn’t find any information of her racing or rallying her Rally anymore afterwards, or any other car. What could have happened to it? It must be said that it’s a smart-looking car. Naturally, any information or educated guesses about the coachbuilder are very much welcome.
Words: Jeroen Booij
Picture: Antoine Kléber / National Library of France
Published:
Wednesday February 5th, 2025
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Comments
Laurent Zoller
11 February 2025, 22:04
I am like Mr. Battistello. I have not found any information on this 1932 Concours d'Elégance in Vichy, but I found that Nadine Lagoute won first prize at the Concours d'Elégance on June 25th, 1932, in Nancy in a Rally convertible, so it could be a transcription error of place (Vichy instead of Nancy)? It is a simple hypothesis and not an affirmation!
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Je suis comme M. Battistello. Je n'ai pas trouvé de renseignement sur ce concours d'élégance de 1932 à Vichy. Mais j'ai trouvé que Nadine Lagoute avait remporté le premier prix au Concours d'Elégance du 25 juin 1932 à Nancy sur un cabriolet RALLY. Il pourrait donc s'agir d'une erreur de transcription de lieu ? (Vichy au lieu de Nancy ) C'est une simple HYPOTHESE et non une affirmation !
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Je suis comme M. Battistello. Je n'ai pas trouvé de renseignement sur ce concours d'élégance de 1932 à Vichy. Mais j'ai trouvé que Nadine Lagoute avait remporté le premier prix au Concours d'Elégance du 25 juin 1932 à Nancy sur un cabriolet RALLY. Il pourrait donc s'agir d'une erreur de transcription de lieu ? (Vichy au lieu de Nancy ) C'est une simple HYPOTHESE et non une affirmation !
Camillo Battistello
09 February 2025, 13:38
After searching for a long time, I have not found any information about the event described above: "Grand Prix des Voitures Transformables (race for open touring cars) at the Concours d'Élégance de Vichy."
Could I kindly have some details about this event, at least the exact date?
Thank you very much!
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Could I kindly have some details about this event, at least the exact date?
Thank you very much!
Christoph Hofbauer
07 February 2025, 12:42
I have owned a Rally NP Roadster for over 20 years, of which I spent seven years restoring it. I would be interested to know what chassis number the Rally N from Mlle. Lagoutte has and whether it might be my vehicle.
I would be very grateful for any information.
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I would be very grateful for any information.
Camillo Battistello
09 February 2025, 13:34
Seeing the photo of this car is very interesting for me, and I won’t hide my curiosity in wanting to know more!
So far, in my research on Automobiles Rally, I have only found information about one Rally NP chassis. The licence plate numbers I have, linked to the chassis number I have information on, do not match the partially readable ones on Miss Legoute's car. However, it is very likely that Automobiles Rally produced other NP chassis.
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So far, in my research on Automobiles Rally, I have only found information about one Rally NP chassis. The licence plate numbers I have, linked to the chassis number I have information on, do not match the partially readable ones on Miss Legoute's car. However, it is very likely that Automobiles Rally produced other NP chassis.
Camillo Battistello
06 February 2025, 16:41
From the photo, I can deduce that the car is a Rally Model N. As mentioned by Mr. Zoller, this photo was taken in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1932.
Miss Lagoute participated in the 1932 Paris-Antibes-Juan-les-Pins regularity rally with race number 177. This event, which was more of a weekly automobile gathering, took place from September 7th to 11th, 1932. The conclusion of this meeting included two awards:
1 — The regularity race, held on September 10th and 11th, on the Circuit de la Garoupe, where Miss Lagoute competed with a Rally Type Sport and finished 84th in the overall ranking (10th in the women's category).
2 — The speed race on the Cap d’Antibes circuit. Miss Lagoute was listed among the participants but decided not to start the race at the last minute due to the tragic accident during practice, in which driver Marcel Lister lost control of his Maserati and fatally crashed.
Aside from this event, Miss Lagoute also participated in the Paris-Nice race in both 1932 and 1933:
- In 1932, competing in Class F (1,100 c.c. - 1,500 c.c.) with a Rally, she finished fourth in the women’s category.
- In 1933, with race number 12 and driving a 1,500 c.c. Rally, she finished sixth in the women’s category, 44th overall, and fifth in her class ranking.
During both of her Paris-Nice participations, she also competed in the Course de Côte du Boulevard Michelet and the Course de Côte de la Turbie, both speed trials.
Another race worth mentioning is the Course de Côte de la Baraque. In 1931, in Clermont-Ferrand, France, she competed with a Rally 1,100 c.c. and achieved fourth place.
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Miss Lagoute participated in the 1932 Paris-Antibes-Juan-les-Pins regularity rally with race number 177. This event, which was more of a weekly automobile gathering, took place from September 7th to 11th, 1932. The conclusion of this meeting included two awards:
1 — The regularity race, held on September 10th and 11th, on the Circuit de la Garoupe, where Miss Lagoute competed with a Rally Type Sport and finished 84th in the overall ranking (10th in the women's category).
2 — The speed race on the Cap d’Antibes circuit. Miss Lagoute was listed among the participants but decided not to start the race at the last minute due to the tragic accident during practice, in which driver Marcel Lister lost control of his Maserati and fatally crashed.
Aside from this event, Miss Lagoute also participated in the Paris-Nice race in both 1932 and 1933:
- In 1932, competing in Class F (1,100 c.c. - 1,500 c.c.) with a Rally, she finished fourth in the women’s category.
- In 1933, with race number 12 and driving a 1,500 c.c. Rally, she finished sixth in the women’s category, 44th overall, and fifth in her class ranking.
During both of her Paris-Nice participations, she also competed in the Course de Côte du Boulevard Michelet and the Course de Côte de la Turbie, both speed trials.
Another race worth mentioning is the Course de Côte de la Baraque. In 1931, in Clermont-Ferrand, France, she competed with a Rally 1,100 c.c. and achieved fourth place.
Camillo Battistello
09 February 2025, 13:42
Dear Mathieu, I truly appreciated your reference, and if you are willing, I would be very interested in learning more about the coachbuilder A. Thiétard, based in La Garenne-Colombe (where the last Rallys were built). Thank you very much!
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Laurent Zoller
05 February 2025, 11:36
In the newspaper l'Auto of March 25th, 1932, we can read that Nadine Lagoute ran well that year.
She came fifth in the 1,500 c.c. category and fourth in the Sport 1,500 c.c. category.
In l'Auto of April 7th, 1933, we can read that Nadine Lagoute ran the Paris-Nice again that year.
She finished fourth in the 1,500 c.c. category and sixth in the Sport 1,500 c.c. category. I found nothing for 1934.
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Dans le journal L'AUTO du 25 mars 1932 on peut lire que Nadine Lagoute a bien couru cette année_là.
Elle est arrivée 5ème en catégorie 1500 cmc et 4ème en catégorie Sport 1500 cmc
Dans le journal L'AUTO du 7 avril 1933, on peut lire que Nadine Lagoute a encore couru le Paris-Nice cette année-là.
Elle a fini 4ème en catégorie 1500 cmc et 6ème en catégorie Sport 1500 cmc .
Je n'ai rien trouvé pour 1934.
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She came fifth in the 1,500 c.c. category and fourth in the Sport 1,500 c.c. category.
In l'Auto of April 7th, 1933, we can read that Nadine Lagoute ran the Paris-Nice again that year.
She finished fourth in the 1,500 c.c. category and sixth in the Sport 1,500 c.c. category. I found nothing for 1934.
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Dans le journal L'AUTO du 25 mars 1932 on peut lire que Nadine Lagoute a bien couru cette année_là.
Elle est arrivée 5ème en catégorie 1500 cmc et 4ème en catégorie Sport 1500 cmc
Dans le journal L'AUTO du 7 avril 1933, on peut lire que Nadine Lagoute a encore couru le Paris-Nice cette année-là.
Elle a fini 4ème en catégorie 1500 cmc et 6ème en catégorie Sport 1500 cmc .
Je n'ai rien trouvé pour 1934.
Laurent Zoller
05 February 2025, 11:03
This photo is on Gallica, the website of the National Library of France.
Photo (Agence ROL) taken on March 16th, 1932, during the weigh-in at Neuilly-sur-Seine for the Paris-Nice race.
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Cette photo se trouve sur le site internet de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Gallica.
Photo ( Agence ROL) prise le 16 mars 1932 lors du pesage à Neuilly sur Seine pour la course Paris -Nice.
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Photo (Agence ROL) taken on March 16th, 1932, during the weigh-in at Neuilly-sur-Seine for the Paris-Nice race.
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Cette photo se trouve sur le site internet de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Gallica.
Photo ( Agence ROL) prise le 16 mars 1932 lors du pesage à Neuilly sur Seine pour la course Paris -Nice.
It would seem that only one entrant was a likely candidate, Maria La Caze in her M.L.C.-Ruby, which appears to be a modified Amilcar fitted with a Ruby engine.
Dona La Caze was a regular competitor in the mid-'20s and early '30s. Born in Portugal, resident in Paris and correspondent for the Portuguese magazine “Illustracio,” her full name appears on her memorial tablet (see photo).
I would hypothesise that “Novolina de La Case” is the nearest the typesetters could manage and the lady concerned was Maria La Caze.
Kind regards,
Stuart