Richard Mille salutes feminine mechglam at Rallye des Princesses
In a nod to its female clientele, Richard Mille is the title partner for the second year running of the only international road rally exclusively for women
Despite the stormy weather, this year saw 90 crews representing nine different nationalities face off in a friendly competition between Paris and Saint-Tropez. Regardless of the difficult racing conditions, they showed extraordinary spirit in persevering with the adventure. After starting off under torrential rain on May 29, the contestants were to enjoy the sun only on June 2, for the final leg, which took them from Pont-Royal to the Place des Lices in Saint-Tropez. Participants in convertibles deserve special mention as they slogged on for several days, drenched, in a state of utter discomfort.
It would be an understatement to say that this rally, in which both “Historic” automobiles –pre-war collectors’ cars such as the Austin Healey – and the more recent “Classic” category vehicles – such as the Ferrari, Porsche, and Jaguar – participate, and which is regularly conducted on public roads, is a genuine sporting challenge.
The rally is highly demanding as participants have to cover over 1,600 kilometres and complete several highly technical tests, requiring concentration and precision. The winning team for 2016 was Marie-Christine Perin and Véronique Morel-Lab (Austin Innocenti no. 70). In the ‘Classic’ category, first place went to the Caterham manned by Servane Gabillon and Chantal Duc Dodon.
Richard Mille’s collection includes the RM 007, RM 037, RM 07-01 as well as the Michelle Yeoh tourbillon and RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur.
