The Bugatti Queen. In Search of a Motor-racing Legend - Softcover

Seymour, Miranda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743478592 ISBN 13: 9780743478595

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2005

Synopsis

THE BUGATTI QUEEN is the beautifully illustrated story of an indomitable and fascinating woman, a pioneer of motorsport who revelled in danger. Born in 1900 in a tiny French village, Hélène Delangle, aka Hellé Nice, became a dancer and a stripper before catching the eye of Ettore Bugatti. Seduced by the combination of machines and speed, Hellé Nice went on to have an unprecedented career, competing in numerous Grands Prix and becoming the only woman to drive on the treacherous American speedbowls in the 1930s. She set new land-speed records before a notorious accident which almost ended her racing days. Re-creating her rollercoaster career with authority and panache from many previously unpublished sources, Miranda Seymour reveals the story of an unforgettable life and sheds new light on the extraordinary and reckless world of motor-racing between the wars.

About this title

Review:

'Seymour writes with an elegance and verve her subject would have appreciated . . . [An] inspiring rediscovery' -- Spectator

'Seymour’s descriptions of [the races] are spine-tingling . . . [She] excels in conveying the wider social-historical context' -- Sunday Times

'Sometimes it seems that fame looks after its own, but here is a very well-told tale that shows us otherwise' -- Sunday Telegraph

'Will have you riveted to your seat . . . Enthralling reading' -- Literary Review

About the Author:

Miranda Seymour, author of the award-winning In My Father's House has written many acclaimed novels and biographies, including lives of Mary Shelley, Robert Graves, Ottoline Morrell and Helle Nice, the Bugatti Queen.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0743478592
• ISBN 13: 9780743478595
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320