The project would be named Helem, an acronym for Le Mans, where the h is silent, el stands for “L,” and em for “M”. Credits: Unattributed
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Helem V6 – born to race

One of the most underrated sports cars of the 1990s, the Helem V6 was the french answer to a nimble and accessible sports car

Avatar photoLorenzo Baer

French companies have a unique history of producing lightweight, high-performance sports cars, including world-renowned models such as the Talbot T26 GS series and the Alpine A110. However, in the shadow of these machines lies a much larger group of vehicles that never achieved the success they were expected to, due to a range of factors. We can mention the Ligier JS2, the Jidé 1600, the CG Simca, and dozens of other models that, despite their innovations and bold designs, were relegated to the margins of this story.

With its low profile, the Helem V6 was a perfect example of the traditional French sports car. Credits: Unattributed

The Helem V6 certainly belongs to this group, as one of the great hidden gems of this segment of the French automotive industry. Developed over a Renault Sport Spider chassis and originally designed as a pure racer, the machine evolved over the course of a decade to become a road-going, accessible, and reasonably priced sports car. However, a convoluted development story would compromise the success of this incredible vehicle, which in 1996, would take its first steps into the world of four wheels.

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Lorenzo Baer
Passionate about motorsport from the 60s and 70s, Lorenzo has a special affection for the sub-Formula 1 categories, such as F2, F3 and F. Junior, which are, at the same time, the 'ugly ducklings' of these decades, but are also the categories that better represent the essence of motorsport during this period. He holds a deep appreciation for drivers like Clark or Rindt, who dominated the premier category of motorsport, returning sporadically to their origins in F2, to compete and, simultaneously, teach new generations of what single-seater racing was all about. Lorenzo believes this was a time of innocence in motorsport, without a doubt, where the most important thing was to race.
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