page_title: Monopole (company)
section_title: Monopole in racing
hierarchical_section_title: Monopole (company) / Monopole in racing
caption_attribution_description: English: 1956 Panhard-Monopole X86, seen at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, 2009
context_page_description: Établissements Monopole was a French manufacturing company that produced parts for automobile engines. The company also built and raced a series of small displacement endurance racing cars. After a series of mergers and acquisitions the Monopole name was retired in Europe, but survives in Africa in the name of a former licensee.
context_section_description: While a student at Reims, de Montrémy spent time at Circuit Reims-Gueux, where he developed a taste for racing. As CEO of Monopole, he recognised the value of competition as a way to both test Monopole's products and promote the company. Efforts were focused on the small-displacement classes in endurance racing as conditions closest to what the parts would experience in normal road use. Écurie Monopole was established to take the company racing.
  de Montrémy designed the first racing Monopole himself. This car used the chassis and engine of a Simca 8, but clothed them in lightweight aluminium bodywork. Its debut race was at the Formula Libre Voiturette 2.0+1.1s at Reims on 6 July 1947, where the car finished seventh. In 1948 two more Simca-Monopoles were built that used the Simca 8's engine, but these successors substituted custom-built lightweight chassis for the Simca original. These cars were raced throughout 1948 and 1949, including the first appearance of a Monopole at Le Mans, where the car driven by de Montrémy and Eugène Dussous finished twelfth overall and first in the S 1.1 class.
  Racing the Monopoles was to some extent a family affair, with de Montrémy and his brothers-in-law Jean and Pierre Hémard making many appearances in the cars, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1950, 1951, and 1953. Other Monopole racing drivers included brothers Pierre and Robert Chancel, Pierre Flahault, Yvonne Simon, and Jean Vinatier.
  In 1950 Panhard increased their involvement in racing, but indirectly, by offering parts and technical support to different racing teams. Monopole availed themselves of this to design a new racing car that used Panhard's air-cooled flat twin engine designed by Louis Delagarde. The car also used the front-wheel drive chassis of the Panhard Dyna X, suitably modified. The car was designed by Monopole's Pierre Bourdereau, who produced a very compact barquette, although due to its full-width ponton-style bodywork the car is often referred to as a tank, as are some other Monopoles. The naming convention for Monopole's Panhard-based racing cars followed that used for the various Dyna X models.
  In 1952 Monopole won both the Index of Performance and the eighteenth Biennial Cup for the third year in a row, making them the only manufacturer to achieve three such consecutive victories.
  In 1953 Panhard decided to become directly involved in racing. Paul Panhard established a racing team under director Etienne de Valance. With the help of designer Marcel Riffard and later Pierre Durand, Panhard produced three models for their own racing efforts; the X88, X89 and VM5. As there were no corresponding Dyna X series X88 or X89, these designations were specific to the racing cars built by Panhard.
  In 1956, following the accident at Le Mans in 1955, Panhard withdrew from direct racing involvement. Écurie Monopole became Panhard's officially supported racing team. Staff as well as Panhard's racing cars were transferred to Écurie Monopole at their location at Achères. Personnel for the team numbered just eight. Some entrant lists record the team as Société Monopole Course rather than Écurie Monopole.
  The team increasingly tried to pursue GT events due to the shortage of sportscar events being run. At the end of the 1958 season the decision was made to close Écurie Monopole.
caption: A 1956 Monopole X86 berlinette.
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