On Sunday 13th July, the hills were alive to the sound of motorsport engines as the 23rd Montée Historique de Lucéram took place between the village of Lucéram and the Col Saint-Roch. Organised by the Automobile Club de Nice et Côte d’Azur, it was an opportunity for around 120 enthusiastic drivers to push their cars to the limit on closed roads.
Located 30 minutes from Nice, the course is a winding route with several hairpins that really test the handling of these cars, nearly all of which are at least 30 years old. Some were showing their age more than others and were a bit slow off the line, but there was also no shortage of cars spinning their wheels. A Mini on slick tyres struggled to put its surprising amount of power down on the tarmac, and several Porsche 911s shot up the hill right from the off. A Riley Elf from the 1960s was the most British thing here, and something of a rarity at a French hill climb. Conversely, Renault was very well represented by all manner of 5s, Gordinis and Alpines, and there were several BMWs, Peugeot 205 GTIs and even a Volvo from the 1950s.
A running commentary from the organisers’ tent provided the spectators with a bit of history about each model as it sat on the starting line. The cars queued up for their turn, giving the owners a chance to swap notes and admire each other’s weapon of choice before strapping on a crash helmet and launching into the trees. But the cars are not timed; there is no clock to beat and no one is ranked. The aim is purely to enjoy the thrill of driving, whilst giving these cars a chance to relive past glories.
The Montée Historique de Lucéram of today is also about reliving the spirit of the earliest car races. This particular event is an homage to the very first hill climb race that took place 128 years ago in nearby La Turbie. The best thing about events such as this is that the general public get to see these classic cars in action, with engines roaring and tyres squealing, rather than sitting in a museum.
And their owners don’t go easy on them, even if they might be getting on a bit now. Hopefully, this historic hill climb will continue to enjoy support, and these cars will have many years of road use ahead of them.
And what was my favourite car of the day? The best engine noise came from a blue and red Porsche 911 that made the most glorious howl as it wound its way up the mountain. However, my heart was stolen by a blue Renault 5 Alpine Turbo from the 1980s, a reminder of when I was 18 and used to drive my mum’s R5 and jump it over a humpback bridge in our town. Glory days indeed!
See more in the photo gallery below…
Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.
Photos credit: Richard McCreery