A beautifully written account of a fascinating twentieth-century life: Heléne Delangle, also known as Hellé Nice; dancer, lover - and record-breaking racing driver.
Born in 1900 to a soon-to-be-widowed postmaster's wife in a small French village, Heléne Delangle's background offered no suggestion of the extraordinary life she was to lead. The first step was to leave the country behind and head to the city - in this case, a Paris in the grip of an intoxicating 1920s blend of creativity and debauchery.
She became a ballet-dancer, and then a stripper. But the demimonde of gauze veils and admirers was not enough. A visit to the Actors' Championships, a uniquely French meeting of the theatrical world with the race-track, opened her eyes to the glamorous combination of machines and speed.
Quickly establishing herself as a racer of uncommon talent and audacity, the beautiful woman now known as Hellé Nice - Hellish Nice to her British fans - then caught the attention of none other than Ettore Bugatti, founder of the marque with which her name will always be associated. And yet, despite the fame and the fortune she amassed in an unprecedented career, she died penniless and alone, an old woman in a crumbling Nice flat surrounded only by memories.
'The Bugatti Queen' is the beautifully illustrated story of an indomitable and fascinating woman, a pioneer of motorsport who revelled in danger. Re-creating her rollercoaster career with authority and panache from many previously unpublished sources, Miranda Seymour reveals the story of an unforgettable life and sheds new light on the extraordinary and reckless world of motor-racing between the wars.
