Chrysler Cars at the 1928 Le Mans 24 Hour Grand Prix d’Endurance

by PETE HAGENBUCH

In 1928 the fledgling Chrysler Corporation was four years old and running at top speed. In that year it had introduced a brand new low priced brand, Plymouth, which was demonstrating great popularity. The purchase of Dodge Brothers, something like Goliath being consumed by the biblical David, was in the works. And the planning for introducing yet another brand, De Soto, was well along for 1929. The year 1928 would also highlight the corporation’s first venture into the realm of international motor racing. And they started big, with a four car team entered in the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race.

The Chrysler racing team consisted of 1928 Series 72 roadsters, powered by L Head inline six cylinder engines with cast iron blocks and cylinder heads. Bore and stroke was 3.5” x 5” and each displaced 248.9 cubic inches (4.1 liters). Compression ratio was 6.1:1. The roadsters weighed in at 3005 pounds with a wheelbase of 118.75”. All four cars were painted in a light cream color with black fenders and trim. Drivers were European, experience with the Sarthe Circuit being a primary consideration. In Car No.7 were the brothers Ghica and Cantacuzino. In Car No.8 were Stoffel and Rossignol and in the remaining team cars were Lepori, Chiron and Benoist. The latter two were well-known Formula 1 drivers of the time.

Chrysler Le Mans roadster

The competition included the Bentley team with three of the brand new 4 1⁄2 liter models. These had four cylinder engines with a single overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder, arranged in a pent roof combustion chamber. Cylinder block and heads were of one iron casting, bolted to a cast aluminum crankcase. Car No.2 was driven by Clement and Benjafield, who was co driver with S.C.H. Davis, in the winning Bentley the previous year. In No.3 were Birkin and Chassagne and in No.4, Rubin and Barnato. Woolf Barnato was not only a skilled driver, but also the Chairman and majority stockholder of Bentley Motors.

From the USA came a single Stutz Black Hawk roadster with the DV-32 engine, a 4.9 liter (298.9 cid) eight cylinder with overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder. The car was painted black and carried the racing number 1. Drivers were Brisson and Bloch.

The remaining entries were small displacement machines which were competing for the Index of Performance. From Britain there were three 2 liter Lagondas, two 1 1⁄2 liter Aston Martins, and pair of Alvis 1 1⁄2 liters with front drive. Italy sent only two 2 liter Italas. The French could muster nothing more than a few under two liter cars including two Salmsons and three Tractas. A total of 33 cars started the race at 4:00 PM on Saturday June 16.

Chrysler roadster for 1928 Le Mans race

Until recently the Le Mans race used a “Le Mans Start” in which the cars were angle parked in front of the pits facing out and the drivers stood across the track from them. When the starter dropped the flag, the drivers sprinted across to their cars, started the engines and drove away. To lessen the likelihood of accidents, the cars were arranged in order of displacement, largest first. Racing numbers were assigned in a similar manner. Therefore it is not surprising that the Stutz and the three Bentleys were first away, followed by the four Chryslers and the rest of the field. At the end of the first lap, the three Bentleys led with the Stutz on their heels. It was announced that Birkin’s first lap, from a standing start was a new course record of 72.7 mph. He and Barnato then began an assault on the lap record. Birkin’s 72.7 mph was soon obliterated by Barnato’s 74.98 mph. Then Brisson in the Stutz did a lap of 75.42 mph followed by another of 76.1 mph. Barnato and the #4 Bentley settled the argument with a lap of 76.16 mph. The three British cars, followed closely by the American, drew steadily away from the rest of the field, which was led by the No.8 Chrysler with Stoffel driving and No.7, being driven by Prince Ghica. One of the Chryslers dropped out in the first hour due to unspecified difficulties.

It was at about this time that the Stutz team manager protested to the officials that the three Bentleys were using blocking tactics to prevent being passed by the American car. This led to a warning issued to Barnato for unsportsmanlike driving and a promise of punishment for any repeated violations.

At approximately 7:00 PM Bentley No.3, with Birkin driving, suffered a punctured tire. The team had agreed to eliminate the jacks from the cars as a weight saving measure. It was reasoned that, in the event of a puncture, the car could be driven slowly back to the pits on the rim. Unfortunately, Birkin did not drive slowly and the wire wheel collapsed, putting the car in a sand bank. Word was brought to the Bentley pit by another British driver, and Chassagne set off on foot with the jack. He walked several miles before reaching the car. After replacing the wheel and digging it out of the bank, three hours were lost.

The Stutz – Bentley duel continued into the darkness hours. Barnato and the Stutz swapped the lead repeatedly. The third Chrysler slowly dropped through the field and finally retired before dawn. At about 1:00 AM Sunday the #2 Bentley retired with a broken chassis frame which caused a separation of the radiator hose leading to a dry radiator and a terminally overheated engine. With the #3 working its way through the tail enders this left only the Barnato car fit to battle with the Stutz, which stayed in the lead for most of the night. The two remaining Chryslers were lapping steadily, not threatening the two leaders but neither were they threatened by other competitors. Relative positions, other than 1^st and 2^nd, remained static for the late night and into the morning light. Failure of the Bentley frame was a big worry and it was expected that the others had a good chance of a similar failure. Barnato and Rubin, however, were busy staying with the American car, while Birkin and Chassagne were still working their way back from their three hour delay. In the process Birkin finally ended the lap record competition with a resounding 79.29 mph.

At 2:30 PM, with only an hour and a half to go, the Stutz lost its top gear. After 22 ½ hours without a bit of trouble, the Americans were reduced to protecting their 2^nd place finish. But it wasn’t over yet. With several laps still to run, the leading Bentley began to show signs of a frame distortion. The predicted frame problem had happened. As the distance between engine and radiator increased, the coolant leaked at an increasing rate. Barnato slowed the big car to a comparative crawl, completing a number of laps as the engine grew hotter.

At the finish he was ahead by well under a lap, but still in first place. They had covered a distance of 2,669.272 km. (1,658.69 mi.). Brisson and Bloch were second in the Stutz. Third and fourth places went to the #8 and #7 Chryslers while Birkin and Chassagne took fifth in the #3 Bentley. While it wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t pretty, a win is a win, and this made two in a row for the Bentley team. The Americans had reason to be proud. The Stutz had proved itself equal to the vaunted Bentley. Chrysler had shown great reliability and fair speed with their much less sophisticated design which sold for far less and was built in much greater numbers.

Position	Car Number	Car	Engine	Drivers	Distance (miles)
1	4	Bentley	4 cyl.- 267.9 c.i.	Barnato, Rubin	1658.61
2	1	Stutz	8 cyl.- 298.2 c.i.	Brisson, Bloch	1650.81
3	8	Chrysler	6 cyl.- 249.1 c.i.	Stoffel, Rossignol	1549.52
4	7	Chrysler	6 cyl.-249.1 c.i.	Ghica, Ghica, Cantacusino	1498.93
5	3	Bentley	4 cyl.- 267.9 c.i.	Birkin, Chassagne	1451.19
6	27	Alvis TA	4 cyl.- 90.4 c.i.	Harvey, Purdy	1420.76
7	32	BNC	4 cyl.- 67.0 c.i.	Dore, Treunet	1410.62
8	12	Itala	6 cyl.- 121.45 c.i.	Benoist, Dauvergne	1403.23
9	28	Alvis TA	4 cyl.- 90.4 c.i.	Davis, Urquhart, Dykes	1395.67
10	35	Salmson	4 cyl.- 66.8 c.i.	Casse, Rousseau	1372.33

Bibliography

The Le Mans Story – Georges Fraichard, 1954
Le Mans – The Bentley and Alfa Years - R.M. Clarke, Anders Clausager, 1923-1939 - Brooklands Books
http://www.maisonblanche.co.uk

Chrysler Cars at the 1928 Le Mans 24 Hour Grand Prix d’Endurance

Bibliography

Also at Allpar