Ferdinand Montier (1909–1996) (named in some reports as "Francois Montier") was a French

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

active in

Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car an ...

Background

Ferdinand Montier was the son of Parisian

automotive engineer Automotive engineering, along with aerospace engineering and naval architecture, is a branch of vehicle engineering, incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software, and safety engineering as applied to the design, manufactu ...

and racing driver

Charles Montier Charles Pierre Elie Montier (28 June 1879 – June 1952) was a French racing driver and automotive engineer whose race entries included the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans. Montier, with his father Elie and friend Gillet, built a steam car – th ...

. The Montiers, father and son, raced the

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

-based "Montier Specials" produced by the father's company, Charles Montier et Cie.

Grand Prix

Montier entered but

did not finish In racing, did not finish (DNF) denotes a result of a participant who does not finish a given race, either because of a mechanical failure, injury, or involvement in an accident. The term is used in: * Automotive racing such as Formula One; NASCA ...

the 1929 Dieppe Grand Prix. He finished 11th in the 1930 Picardy Grand Prix but did not finish the

1930 Belgian Grand Prix The 1930 Belgian Grand Prix (formally the II Grand Prix de Belgique), also known as the VII Grand Prix d'Europe was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 20 July 1930. The race was held over 40 laps of a 14.914 km circuit for a to ...

after running out of fuel. Montier notched up another DNF in the

1930 French Grand Prix The 1930 French Grand Prix (formally titled the XXIV French Grand Prix, Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.) was a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix motor race held at Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau on 21 September 1930. The race was held over 25 laps of a ...

and was flagged off in 8th place in the 1930 San Sebastián Grand Prix, ahead only of retirees. A 10th place finish was secured in the

1931 Casablanca Grand Prix Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

and 11th at the 1931 Dieppe Grand Prix, one place behind his father. Montier also entered the

1931 Belgian Grand Prix The 1931 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 12 July 1931. Classification Race Starting grid positions Notes References Belgian Grand Prix Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix ...

- a round of the inaugural

AIACR European Championship The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950. It was established in 1931 and ran until the end of 1939 with a hiatus from 1933– ...

. He failed to finish due to mechanical issues but his participation nonetheless earned him 21st place in the drivers championship. Montier finished the 1932 Picardy Grand Prix in 6th and on the lead lap, 3 places ahead of his father. Ferdinand arrived at the

1932 La Baule Grand Prix Year 193 (Roman numerals, CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ' ...

with a Montier Special now sporting ''two'' engines (instead of the Ford Model A-derived 3.3L

straight 4 A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the e ...

used hitherto); for the second race in succession he finished 6th and on the lead lap. Montier finished 13th in the 1933 Dieppe Grand Prix in a

Ford V8 Ford engines are those used in Ford Motor Company vehicles and in aftermarket, sports and kit applications. Different engine ranges are used in various global markets. 3 cylinder A series of Ford DOHC 12-valve inline-three engines with Twin Indep ...

-powered Montier Special, 11 laps behind the winner. He entered the 1933 La Baule Grand Prix and

1935 Lorraine Grand Prix Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

but did not appear at either event.

Racing record

Complete European Championship results

References

External links

* (as "Francois Montier") {{DEFAULTSORT:Montier, Ferdinand 1909 births 1996 deaths European Championship drivers French racing drivers