André Paul Victor Morel (3 August 188417 July 1961) was a French racing driver.
Life and career
Morel was born on 3 August 1884 in
Troyes, France. His father died when he was 11. His parents at that time expected him Morel to become a
priest or
butcher. After dipping his toes into both careers, he switched to the
automotive field.
When Morel made his way to Lyon, he was obliged to work his way up; having no diplomas or degrees, he began washing windows and negotiating used cars. Between 1911 and 1914, Morel managed a mechanic workshop that repaired and sold automobiles and represented the brands
Berliet and
Le Zèbre. During
World War I, he was deemed unfit for combat and was sent to work in a munitions factory.
After the war, on 1 April 1919, Morel was hired as a commercial inspector by
Le Zèbre.
Soon,
Amilcar was created by André Morel, Edmond Moyet, Emile Akar and Joseph Lamy. The name "Amilcar" was formally registered on 29 July 1921 and was loosely based on an anagram, using letters (adjusted to replace the "k" and the "y") from the names of two of the company's founders, Lamy and Akar.
As the Amilcar business grew, Morel began his great racing career. He won many races, including the French Constructor Championship in 1922.
Later, on 26 August 1928 at Arpajon, speed records were officially broken: the 1270 cc was recorded achieving 211 km/h under harsh wet conditions, and the 1100cc (car) at 207 km/h.
Andre Morel raced with Delage in 1925 with
Albert Divo
Albert Divo (24 January 1895, in Paris – 19 September 1966, in Morsang-sur-Orge, Essonne, France) was a Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Paris, France. In 1922, Divo competed in the International Tourist Trophy endurance race on ...
and won the
San Sebastián Grand Prix.
March 1929 ended
Amilcar's race era. Shortly afterwards, André Morel left
Amilcar.
While he was racing for
Amilcar, Morel was also racing for
Voisin. The two companies never competed against one another.
Then, Morel met back up with Lamy, and in April 1929, Morel was named representative for the Hudson and Essex brands. Driving an
Essex, Morel won the automobile Tour de France.
Later Morel raced with
Talbot, his last race being at
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
in 1952.
Near the end of his life, Morel was elected the vice president of the Racers Society.
On 3 August 1961 André Morel died in the suburbs of
Lyon, due to some illness.
The most comprehensive historical work on André Morel has been compiled by Philip Schram and is published a
www.lezebre.eu A DVD was published that includes the
Le Zebre portion of André Morel's resume.
Gallery
Image:Le Zebre C5 BW 1.JPG, Le Zebre C5, 1913
Image:André Morel at the 1926 San Sebastián Grand Prix.jpg, André Morel at the 1926 San Sebastián Grand Prix
Image: Andre_morel_le_champion_modeste.jpg, DVD Andre Morel Le Champion Modeste
References
External links
* This text is an abstract of the life of Andre Morel published a
www.lezebre.euby Philip Schram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morel, Andre
1884 births
1961 deaths
French racing drivers
Sportspeople from Aube