Maurice Trintignant, at the wheel of the Bugatti 51 (that his brother was killed in), during the 1939 Pau Grand Prix. Photo: Maurice Louche
Legends Speak

My Life With Maurice

SportsCarDigest

I first met Maurice at the Castle of Galifet in 1979 or 1980 at a funeral. It was a funeral of a very dear friend of my father who also happened to be a friend of his family. So he attended the funeral, I attended the funeral, and that’s how we met. Soon thereafter we were married and Maurice quickly instilled in me his passion for Formula 1. Over the years he told me so many stories of his racing days.

Maurice’s racing career did not start until after his brother Louis was killed in a race at Péronne in 1933. Strangely enough, Maurice started racing in the very car that his brother was killed in, which for some is difficult to comprehend until you know the whole story. While some may not believe it, according to Maurice, the night before the race he had a nightmare. And the nightmare was, his brother was dying in a car crash. The next day his brother was dead. Maurice was 16 at the time. It obviously affected him a lot.

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Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
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