Viviane Elder

Viviane Elder, a French driver, pilot and actress, is most famous for her Le Mans start in 1949. 

She was born in 1904. Her given name was Eugenie Anne Marie Madeleine Hignette, but she always went by the name Viviane Elder. She married very young and the marriage did not last, although she did have one son. After extricating herself from the union, she began acting. Her first film was French crime drama Mephisto in 1931, which became a series of films. 

Her petrol-powered career began with air races, not long after she started making films. Given her interest in aviation, it is possible that she took her stage surname from the American pilot and actress, Ruth Elder. She owned at least two aircraft during the 1930s, a Farman and a Caudron. At first, she entered French flying rallies and races, then she began flying further afield into the Mediterranean and North Africa, then largely French-occupied.

In popular record, the first mention of her in a car was when she and three colleagues got lost during a rally in the Sahara in 1936. However, sources such as "L'Aerophile" magazine suggest that the misfortune happened during an air race or rally. "Le Record" states this unequivocally. It also names Guy Hansez as one of her co-pilots, the same as the reports describing the incident as happening during a motor rally. The four crew members waited for two days to be rescued. Later that year, she was also picked up by a Greek ship after bailing into the Mediterranean on the way to Morocco.

It was not until the end of the 1930s that she became interested in motor racing. There was a crossover between pilots and racing drivers, and Guy Hansez was one who did both. He apparently introduced her to Amedee Gordini and others. The war then intervened. Her flying comes to an end here.

Motorsport took some time to get going again in Europe after the deprivations of World War II, and it was 1948 before Viviane actually got on track. During the war itself, there are suggestions that she was investigated for supposed links to Italian fascists, but she does not appear to have been interned or imprisoned.

She drove solo in her first major race, which was the Grand Prix des Frontieres at Chimay in Belgium. Her car was a Simca-Gordini T8 and she was third in the 1100cc race.

A little later, she joined up with Jean Estager in a Simca-Gordini T8 for the Paris 12 Hours, held at Montlhery. She was 28th overall. The winner was future Formula One driver Luigi Chinetti in a Ferrari.

The following month, she was back at Montlhery for the Coupes du Salon. She was eighth overall, ahead of one of the works Gordini cars.

In 1949, the 45-year-old Viviane and her co-driver Rene Camerano entered the little Simca into the Le Mans 24 Hours. The 1100cc car lasted for 95 laps before it retired. She was the first woman to race in the 24 Hours since before the war. 

This appears to have been her last appearance on track until French sources are consulted. According to L'Equipe, she entered the 1951 Coupes du Salon in a Ford Vedette, finishing 27th. This was a departure from her usual Simca cars, but the Vedette model would soon be rebadged as a Simca in France.

She died in 1960, aged 56.