Brigitte Bardot, Ursula Andress, Raquel Welch and Madonna are all international stars who, during their lives, had a very personal if not passionate relationship with the motor car, in particular those that they chose for their personal transport.
For the second Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille on 6th September 2015 Peter Auto and his team have assembled a unique selection of cars that belonged to famous women in the chateau’s domain. This new class, among the fifteen in the Concours d’Etat, will be one of the highlights of the event. They will be on display on the lawns of Le Nôtre, and their extraordinary history intimately linked to the life of their famous owners will satisfy the curiosity of motor car lovers and the fans of the stars. The oldest in the class, the 1927 Bugatti Type 35B, is a real racing car that took part in numerous grand prix in its era driven con brio by its owner, Hellé Nice, a famous cabaret dancer who was crazy about racing. She was an icon for the women pioneers who took on the men in what was an extremely dangerous sport at the time. In 1939, music hall singer, Lucienne Dhotel, whose stage name was La Môme Moineau, became the richest woman in the world prior to WWII by marrying Felix Benitez Rexach, a South American businessman. She ordered a Delahaye 135 MS with bodywork by Figoni. It also figured in the shooting of the film Le Château de Verre with Michèle Morgan in 1950.A 1954 Ferrari 250 Europe GT of the post-war period, which had coachwork specially made by Viginale for Princess Lilian de Rethy, King Leopold III of Belgium’s wife, is another unique car.
The “King” Elvis Presley gave a 1958 BMW 507 to Ursula Andress after the filming of the musical comedy Fun in Acapulco in 1963 in which they played the main roles. “I hope it’ll be the most admired car in the Concours, as I loved it very much,” said Brigitte Bardot when she heard that her 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Convertible II was entered for the Chantilly Arts & Elégance.Another unforgettable actress, Raquel Welch, loved driving this Ferrari 275 GTS so much during the shooting of the film Fathom in 1967 that the director of the movie, Leslie H. Martinson, gave it to her as a present. She kept it for several years. Bringing the curtain down on the Famous Women’s cars is the 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE given to Madonna in 1986 by her husband at the time, the actor/director Sean Penn. The pop icon appeared at the wheel of her cabriolet in the clip of her song Deeper and Deeper. These seven cars of the stars will be on stage on Sunday 6th September in the Château de Chantilly surrounded by around another hundred exceptional vehicles which, in their own field, have marked the history of the automobile, as well as the concept cars taking part in the Concours d’Elegance.
