Steering wheel with history

The steering wheel of a car is one of those instruments which we pretty much take for granted, but it has not always been so.

A French automotive racer and aviation pioneer René Thomas was born on March 7, 1886 in Périgueux.

In 1911, as one of the leading racers, he joined the racing team Louise Delâge. In the interwar period, Delage in honor of René Thomas, produced the steering wheel with signature engraving and his portrait for his cars.

This steering wheel was also made for Jean Chassagne, who in 1922 won the Gran Prix with the Sunbeam car.

Two steering wheels of these racers can be seen at the AVC.