Vincent Tourneau – Piloting a 1937 Delahaye at 75MM without the use of his legs

Vincent is one of just seven handicapped racers in the world to have his level of FIA licence, though he admitted never to having raced against – or even met – the others.

For his debut at Goodwood, he hand-controlled his 1937 Delahaye 135S – a car with a rich GP and Mille Miglia history in period – in the new Varzi Trophy for French and Italian prewar cars.

The Delahaye still has pedals, so others can drive it, but for Vincent, who became paraplegic after an aircraft accident 14 years ago, all the “legwork” is done by his left hand.

There’s a big handle to the left of the steering wheel which you push to brake, pull back to accelerate and squeeze a trigger to work the clutch. Next to it is a little open-gate gear selector. Thanks to the type of gearbox the Delahaye has, there is no need for double-declutching.

“The problem for me is that my gearchanges take 1.5 seconds whereas drivers in the other cars can change gear in perhaps half a second,” Vincent told GRR. Otherwise, he’d be as fast as anyone. Chiefly, he said, he is here for the enjoyment of the racing, and to make a point to all disabled people. 

“One of my targets at Goodwood is to prove to everyone that someone without the use of their legs can drive a car in historic racing. Even after an accident you can have life and do very original things. Life does not finish in a room with a television.”

Vincent Tourneau was a historic racer before his accident, as well as being a notable yachtsman – he was part of the crew on France 1 in the 1977 America’s Cup. He said his inspiration to get back into racing came from the late F1 driver Clay Regazzoni who lost the use of his legs after crashing out of the 1980 US Grand Prix. Using hand controls, he went on to compete in the Pais-Dakar Rally and Sebring 12 Hours.

“Clay was my inspiration. He was such a strong guy. He told me after my accident, ‘you have a new life now, get on and live it’. He kicked my arse and made me go in my first Monte Carlo Rally in 2007.”

Since then he has thrown himself into historic racing. His first two cars, a Porsche 356 Speedster and a Porsche 901, were both converted to hand controls and typically they have names too: Sans les jambes 1 and Sans les jambes 2. 

The Delahaye is Sans les jambes 3 and joined them four years ago. Vincent and his engineer adapted the car for his use – all to FIA rules – while race prep was recently finished in the UK after a six-month rebuild. 

How did he fare against the Bugattis and Alfa Romeos in the Varzi Trophy? His Delahaye 135S competed in a lot of grands prix in period, but the trouble then, as at 75MM, is that it was up against Bugatti. 

“The Delahaye has a big 3.6-litre engine which is good for endurance events but the car weighs 1,000kg against a Bugatti at 600kg so is not so good for sprint races. It is a great car to drive though and really suits me. Most 135Ss are in museums, considered too precious to race.”

Action man Vincent was here to show the world that these wonderful old cars should be out there racing – even when the racer behind the wheel doesn’t have the use of his legs.

Photography by Jochen Van Cauwenberge