Gilberte and her Racing Porsche
The recent acquisition of Porsche by Volkswagen has a feel which is slightly reminiscent of an arranged marriage. Two old and respected houses from the same country celebrate their union and their new, combined power. The fact that Volkswagen were the one bringing the dowry suggests, if we stick with the archaic model of old-world weddings, that they represent the man, while Porsche represent the feminine side.
Of course, saying that Porsche is in any way ‘feminine’ would be a controversial statement for a brand that is so revered by men all over the world. You could occasionally say that the curves of their most graceful models have a female subtlety about them (the 718 RS 60 comes to mind, surely one of the most elegant), but even then it is subjective: cars do not have a gender.
Even so, for one lady in particular the Porsche logo had more meaning than it did (and does) for most men. Gilberte Thirion, the first woman to become a champion in the world of rallies, formed a bond with the first car ever to bear the Porsche logo – a slick, sinuous 365 G-mund SL. The car was something special, no less for being specially aluminium-bodied. It was lighter than most other models and the owner sold it to Gilberte’s father because, even for a sports car, it was simply too fast!
It was a glorious partnership that started in 1952, with Gilberte’s first official rally on the seat of a Porsche, and went on through several years and several trophies. Despite the continuous success of the Thirion-Porsche combo, their partnership remains an item of trivia which only the most ardent followers of the Porsche brand – and the sport of rallying – will know about. It included some darker moments, such as the 1953 Paris – St Raphael Rally, which saw Gilberte leading the race only to crash at the very end. Her injuries were serious, and they kept her off the seat of any racing car for two months. And yet she did not give up on the car, nor the car on her – and they went on to win more races than we have the space to recount (though a glance at her list of awards, which can be found anywhere on the internet, gives a notion of what a quality pilot she was).
Gilberte Thirion retired in 1957, opting for marriage and a family over more years of breathless racing across the roads of Europe. She did much to change the perception of women in the world of cars, at a time when it was believed that a lady would not be able to appreciate the aesthetical difference between a polished sports Ferrari and a parking lot full of new trucks. She did much for Porsche, too, and Porsche did much for her. Perhaps the connotation of an automobile logo as ‘feminine’ should be understood to be a compliment.
