190Szisz/03

WARNING! Scanned from an old glass plate

In 1906, Renault and its revolutionary Type AK, driven by Ferenc Szisz, ahead of Elliot Shepard and his Hotchkiss HH, won the very first Grand Prix organized by the Automobile Club de France (ACF) at Le Mans, securing a unique place for the Hungarian driver and the manufacturer in the history of motor racing.
Held on the public roads around Le Mans on June 26 and 27, 1906, the first Grand Prix took place over two days. Renault entered the Type AK, equipped with a lightweight chassis and a 12.9-liter four-cylinder engine. Thirty-two cars started this long race, but many failed in the stifling heat. After a 1,238.16 km race completed at an incredible average speed of 100.9 km/h, Szisz nevertheless crossed the finish line thirty-two minutes ahead of his closest pursuer. This triumph was achieved thanks to the technical innovation of his 90-horsepower car and the new removable rims, already fitted with tires and therefore easily replaceable, designed by the Michelin brothers.

Born in a small town in Békés County in the Hungarian zone of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ferenc Szisz trained as a boilermaker before beginning to work on mechanical parts in the early 1890s. Dissatisfied with his work, he then headed to Budapest and Vienna, the major capitals of the time.

He found employment in the booming automotive and aviation sectors before moving to Munich, where he became familiar with electrical equipment for motor vehicles at Bosch.

After Munich, Szisz moved to Paris to work in a machine tool factory. Following Renault's purchase of one of these machines, Szisz joined the company as an engineer and development technician. His relationship with Renault would prove long and fruitful. Initially assigned to the machine tool department, he was transferred to the production department, where meticulous and refined work was required on the piston, axle, and bearing cutting, all of which at that time required manual finishing.

Szisz's skills were quickly recognized, and he became Marcel Renault's racing mechanic. At the time, he would sit beside the driver, testing his cars in preparation for the grueling races from city to city. In 1902, he was also chosen to fill this role alongside Louis Renault before becoming a Renault racing driver after Marcel's tragic death during the 1903 Paris-Madrid race. He achieved immediate success, finishing fifth in the 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup held at the Circuit d'Auvergne near Clermont-Ferrand.

That same year, in October, Renault sent a team to the United States for the Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island, New York, alongside other French and Italian manufacturers. In a field that included prominent figures of the time such as Felice Nazzaro and Louis Chevrolet, Szisz finished fifth in a classic race won by the Darracq driven by Frenchman Victor Hémery.

With the growing popularity of the sport, the first Grand Prix was held in 1906 on the roads of Le Mans. Szisz's triumph earned him 45,000 francs, an enormous sum at the time, as well as French citizenship and a decoration from the French state.

His success secured him and Renault a place forever in the pantheon of motor racing.