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The legendary Le Mans racetracks once again hosted approximately 460 competing racecars, while the surrounding paddocks hosted more than 8,000 exhibited cars—all of which represented the opposite of environmentally sound or anything that would remotely fit the description of a modern car. Le Mans, which took place July 9-11, is all about good old-fashioned power, noise and—well—Richard Mille.
Behind every great SAAB, Ferrari, or Porsch is Richard Mille: Mille´s advertising is present throughout the Le Mans Classic.
Mille has been the major sponsor of the Le Mans Classic since its introduction in 2002; only held every other year, this was the fifth edition. The popular and innovative watch brand also acts as the race’s offical timekeeper, which means maximum exposure for the man behind the watches: behind every great Porsche 917, Renault Alpine, or Corvette there happens to be a Richard Mille in this case.
Steve McQueen’s choice and a Le Mans icon: the Porsche 917 in “Gulf” colors.
Lifestyle racing
The Le Mans Classic is obviously about much more than winning the race. It is more about showing the dedication needed to participate and sharing the joyful experience of restoring a historic racecar. What it is not is a competition for big car brands. Au contraire: this event is more like a vintage watch market with enthusiasts ogling other impressive collections with a mixture of admiration and envy.
Oozing enthusiasm, the amazing Little Big Man paddock and race showed some historic cars in pint size, driven by kids—whose fathers obviously were interested in furthering their own automotive interest through their progeny.
Richard Mille personally took part in the race, driving his own 1970 LOLA T70. He took the circuit solo this year, displaying his talent on the race track and proudly showing where his horological inspiration originates.
RM010 Le Mans Classic 2010 edition in titanium.
The winner takes it all
At the event Mille launched an automatic RM010 with a 24-hour indicator at 2 o’clock. The watch proudly displays the colors of the historic race, sporting a green upper flange and a white carbon fiber minute subdial. The RM010 Le Mans Classic 2010 will be limited to 150 pieces: 50 in titanium, 50 in white gold, and 50 in rose gold. Prices range from € 42,500 to € 49,500.
The race winner were awarded with a stainless steel chronograph designed by Mille, but not produced by his company.
One of Mille’s personal guests wearing a platinum RM003 with second time zone indicator.
Artcurial auction
As a footnote, it is well worth mentioning that French auction house Artcurial sold a fully restored 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 Berlinetta for € 837,500 and achieved a total auction sale of more than six million euros. Artcurial held its impressive car auction on the grounds of the Le Mans Classic, attracting a great deal of attention.
A Richard Mille hostess using rubber straps in an innovative way.
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