Georges Philippe was the pseudonym used by Philippe de Rothschild during his brief career as a motor racing driver in 1928 and 1929. He raced his own Bugatti T35C with moderate success, including coming fourth in the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix. He also made a brief appearance for the elite Bugatti works team, but at the end of 1929 he abruptly withdrew from motorsport, to concentrate on the family wine growing business. A pseudonym (Greek pseudo + -onym: false name) is an artificial, fictitious name, also known as an alias, used by an individual as an alternative to a persons true name. ... Baron Philippe de Rothschild (13 April 1902 - 20 January 1988) was a member of the Rothschild banking dynasty who became a Grand Prix race-car driver, a scriptwriter, a theatrical producer, a poet, and the most successful wine grower in the world. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... The 1929 Monaco Grand Prix event poster The 1929 Monaco Grand Prix was the first ever Grand Prix to be run in the Principality. ... Bugatti is one of the fastest marques of automobile and one of the most exclusive Italian-French car producers of all time. ...

Rothschild made his first competition appearance in the Paris-Nice auto race of 1928, competing in a borrowed Hispano-Suiza. After purchasing a Bugatti T37, he adpoted the psudonym to protect his family. Georges Philippe made his first appearance at the 1928 Bugatti Grand Prix at Le Mans, a race solely for private Bugatti owners. Hispano-Suiza is a French engineering firm best known for their engine and weapon designs in the pre-World War II period, work that developed out of their earliest work in luxury automobile design. ... Bugatti is one of the fastest marques of automobile and one of the most exclusive Italian-French car producers of all time. ... The Circuit de la Sarthe is a race track near Le Mans, France. ...

For 1929, Rothschild decided to upgrade to a full Grand Prix-specification Type 35C. In fact, so enamoured with the vehicles was he, he ordered three. Using one of the new cars, Georges Philippe was eneterd into the Grand Prix d'Antibes. In a field that included Rene Dreyfus and Philippe Etancelin, both race winners many times over, Rothschild led the race until he crashed out on the 36th lap. A mere two weeks later, with the car rebuilt, Georges Philippe finished a highly creditable fourth at the inaugural Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco. Bugatti Type 35B The Type 35 was the most successful of the Bugatti racing models. ... René Dreyfus (born May 6, 1905 - died August 16, 1993) was a French driver who raced automobiles for 14 years in the 1920s and 1930s, the Golden Era of Grand Prix motor racing. ... Philippe Étancelin, born December 29, 1896 - died October 13, 1981, was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver who joined the new Formula One circuit at its inception. ... The Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. ...

Continued improvement was finally rewarded when Georges Philippe won the Burgundy Grand Prix three weeks later, finishing ahead of Guy Bouriat in a second Rothschild T35C. However, he was unfortunate to retire from the following race while running sixth. The third of Rothschild's T35Cs was regularly campaigned by a rather curious aquaintance for a future Baron. A model and exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris, Helene Delangle regularly took to the track under her professional psudonym Hellé Nice. Hellé Nice, born December 15, 1900 - died October 1, 1984, was a French model, dancer, and a Grand Prix motor racing driver. ...

Nevertheless, Georges Philippe had attracted sufficient attention to be offered a factory drive alongside Monegasque star Louis Chiron. In his two races for the crack squad, Rothschild ran at the front of the field, before dropping back later in the race due to vehicle troubles. At the 1929 German Grand Prix, around the notorious Nürburgring Nordschlife, Georges Philippe was comfortably ahead of Chiron before contact with a wall caused damage to his Bugatti's axle, slowing the car and allowing Chiron to pass and take the victory. Louis Alexandre Chiron, born August 3, 1899 in Monte Carlo, Monaco – died there on June 22, 1979, was a champion of Grand Prix motor racing. ... Detailed Nürburgring map showing both the Nordschleife and the new GP section. ...

Unfortuately, increasing fame was wearing Georges Philippe's anonymity rather thin. His final appearance was in the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans where, driving an American Stutz, he failed to finish. After this Rothschild quietly laid Georges Philippe to rest, and returned to running Château Mouton Rothschild, responsibility for which he had inherited in 1921. Baron Philippe de Rothschild died in January 1988. The 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 8th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 21 and 22, 1930. ... The Stutz Motor Company, later reborn as Stutz Motor Car of America, was a producer of luxury cars. ... Château Mouton Rothschild, located 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France in an area known as the Médoc, specifically the village of Pauillac. ...

External links

• The life of Georges Philippe at GrandPrix.com