What happened when President de Gaulle expressed his wish to see
French cars win the Monte Carlo Rally, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the
Formula One World Championship?
This book tells the story of
Matra, Alpine and Ligier as never told before. Little did the Author
expect it to include a range of topics as diverse as the introduction of
colour television, the fate of truck company Berliet, the consequences
of wartime occupation, the rivalry between Simca, Citroen and Renault,
illegal political party funding, the films of Jean-Luc Godard,
unfathomable going-on at the FIA, the beginnings of the EEC, the
unsavoury activities of the French security services, the influence of
the ENA, the significance of the cars used by the gendarmerie, the
dirigiste economy, ministerial corruption, unsolved murders and
attempted assassinations ... and lots of motor racing.
Reviewed in Motor Sport magazine
July 2022: "Within bite sized chapters that never fail to enthral, we
are led through the political drama behind the scenes as France strove
to lead the world through tech innovation...whipped along by Ager's
opinionated commentary, and backed by a series of lively
illustrations...if you have a leaning towards dark humour, you'll like
this book."