Automobile Club de France
The Automobile Club de France (ACF) is a private club of automobile enthusiasts, the Comte on 12 November 1895 de Dion Albert (1856-1946), the baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt (1860-1934) and the journalist Paul Meyan founded has been. This makes the ACF the oldest automobile club in the world. The ACF took over the organization of motor sport events, replacing organizers such as the Le Petit Journal newspaper .
In 1898 the ACF first hosted the Paris Motor Show .
The first motorsport regulations in the world
A technical commission for motorsport was set up for the first time as early as 1897, and in 1903 the racing driver Chevalier René de Knyff , who had been active until then, became its head .
One of the triggers for the founding of the ACF was Albert de Dion's relegation to the Paris-Rouen race in 1894 . In the following years a rapid development set in, in which ever more powerful vehicles increased the dangers of motorsport. The ACF therefore implemented rules for the first time in 1901, which are considered to be the first motor sport regulations in the world. A central innovation was the division into categories that had to apply to all events supported by the ACF. The resulting weight limitation should initially help to reduce the immense number of tire defects as a result of overloading. The problem arose particularly in the 1901 Paris-Vienna race .
The now generally applicable classification provided for the following classes:
- Motorized two-wheelers under 50 kg
- Motor tricycles ("Tricyles") from 50 to 250 kg
- Voiturettes from 250 to 400 kg
- light trolleys from 400 to 650 kg
- heavy wagons from 650 to 1000 kg
Nocturnal work in the paddock was also prohibited. Overall, the innovations had a positive impact on both motorsport and the automotive industry, but they too could not prevent the catastrophic accidents at the Paris – Madrid race in 1903 .
internationalization
In 1904, the ACF, together with clubs from 6 other nations, founded the Association Internationale des Automobiles Clubs Reconnus , today's Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The automobile club organized a large number of car races and in 1906 hosted the first ever Grand Prix, the Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France .
The club has resided since 1898 at Place de la Concorde 6 in Paris on over 10,000 m² in the Hotels du Plessis-Bellière and Moreau, both of which are located between the Hôtel de Crillon and the Hotel de Coislin .
Club members have lounges, a swimming pool, a fitness studio, a library with more than 45,000 volumes, a cinema, bars and dining rooms at their disposal. Yoga, squash, shooting, billiards and fencing are offered as sports. There is also a hairdressing salon and a travel agency available.
Members meet on a Wednesday each month in the clubhouse.
President
- 1895–1922: Baron Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt
- 1922–1928: Comte Robert de Voguë
- 1928-1948: Viscount de Rohan
- 1948–1971: Comte Hadelin de Liedekerke Beaufort
- 1971–1977: Jean Richard-Deshais
- 1977–1989: Jean Panhard
- 1989–1998: Philippe Clément
- 1998-2006: Marquis de Flers
- 2006–2012: Marquis du Rouret
- 2012–2018: Robert Panhard
- since 2018: Louis Desanges
director
Paul Meyan became the first general manager of the ACF in 1895.
literature
- B. von Lengerke: Automobile races and competitions 1894–1907. Verlag Richard Carl Schmidt & Co., Berlin 1908. (Facsimile: Fachbuchverlag-Dresden, 2014, ISBN 978-3-95692-272-5 )
- Thomas Ulrich: Paris-Madrid: The greatest race of all time. 2nd Edition. Monsenstein & Vannerdat, 2013, ISBN 978-3-942153-14-0 .
- Halwart Schrader (Ed.): Motor Men: People, myths and engines of automobile history. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-03202-6 .
