On the market: a Lorraine-Dietrich for Le Mans

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Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll have noticed that, for some months now, the old-car world has been preparing to pour some Champagne and fire some party-poppers to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours. If you want to be a part of the festivities, you could head to the Le Mans Classic at the end of month, but what better way could there be to mark the occasion than buying your very own vintage Le Mans winner?

It's a bit of a pity that Le Mans in the 1920s has come to be more or less synonymous with Bentley, leaving other marques overshadowed. We mustn't forget that the winner of the inaugural race in 1923 was a Chenard et Walcker, while it was the Lorraine-Dietrich team which wore the laurel garland in 1925 and 1926. In 1925, the winning Lorraine-Dietrich set a 24-hour world record, averaging 57.8mph over 1,388 miles. Another Lorraine-Dietrich finished third, behind a Sunbeam. The 1926 victory was even more memorable still. Lorraine-Dietrich swept the board with a 1-2-3 finish - the only French manufacturer ever to achieve such a thing in the history of Le Mans until Peugeot in 1993 - and increased the 24-hour record to 1,583 miles at 66mph.

The model which won so much renown for Lorraine-Dietrich was the B3-6, a big 3½-litre six-cylinder model which, with its low-sided, lightweight fabric torpédo coachwork, could get up to speeds of about 95mph.

It just so happens that there's a lovely B3-6 on the market at the moment, but you'd have a long way to go to get to Le Mans with it. If, however, you live in the Antipodes, it could be perfect for you. It's for sale with Oldtimer Australia, and it's believed to have spent all its life down in Van Diemen's Land. A plaque on the dash reveals that it was originally sold through Bevan Bros. & Tucker Pty. Ltd. at 493 Elizabeth Street in Melbourne, and it was registered in Victoria in 1924 or 1925.

Nothing more is known about it until it surfaced in Swan Hill, Victoria, in 1986, as a rolling chassis with engine and gearbox. The present owner bought it and set about restoring it, fitting it with a handsome touring body of rather more substance than the racing Lorraine-Dietrichs had. Ever since, it has been well looked-after and kept in regular use.

Oldtimer Australia is full of praise for it and says it will happily cruise at around 50mph, but advises that it might need a bit of fettling before you attempt a 24-hour drive of your own. Appropriately finished in a variation on French racing blue and priced at A$99,950 (approx. £53,500), it looks like a fine car to our eyes. A full description is available from Oldtimer Australia.

Words: Zack Stiling; pictures: Oldtimer Australia
 

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