Hotel de France (Le Mans / La Chartre sur le Loir)

The Hotel de France is a historic hotel in La Chartre Sur Le Loir at 20, place de la République. The Hotel opened for business in c 1920. The hotel is 27 miles outside of le Mans. It used to be the headquarters for the Le Mans 24 Hr Motor Racing Teams. The hotel is full of motor racing history. It had a garage on the side for the mechanics to work on the cars and it has been run by the same family for the past four generations. It is a mecca for fans of the "24 heures du Mans" races. It is a live museum; its walls are covered with photos of races from the past. Most of them are signed by the car racers themselves, and for many years the place was where the "Aston Martin" and Gulf Oil team met.

1971 Le Mans Porsche 917LH Derek Bell Jo Siffert Hotel de France

It was frequented by famous racing drivers and team managers and celebrities such as John Wyer, Derek Bell, Justin Bell, David Piper, Jo Siffert, Vern Schuppan, Jacky Ickx, Richard Attwood, Mike Salmon, Brian Redman, David Hobbs, Pedro Rodriguez, Jackie Oliver, Jean Pierre Jaussaud, Innes Ireland, Jo Schlesser, Maurice Trintignant, John Whitmore, Graham Hill, jack Fairman, Roy Salvadori, Reg Parnell, Lucien Bianchi, Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby, Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill, Jacques Laffite, Tony Brooks, jochen Rindt, peter Collins, Paul Frere, Jackie Stewart, Guy Ligier, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Francois Migault, Mike Hailwood, Bruce Mclaren, Mario Andretti, Briggs Cunningham. Steve McQueen, Pierre Sallinger(kennedy press secretary), children of both John F Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, Prince Bertil of Sweden, Frank Williams, President Rene Coty of France,