The Million Franc Race, or ‘Prix du Million’, was an effort in 1937 by the French Popular Front to induce French automobile manufacturers to develop race cars capable of competing with the incredibly advanced German Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union racers of the time, which were backed by the Nazi government in a (largely successful) attempt to dominate the sport, in order to 'prove the superiority of the Aryan race'.
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René Dreyfus was hired by Delahaye to drive their model 145 in testing and in the competition itself, where he risked death by setting a literally blistering pace, wearing the special Dunlop tires down to the fabric, but handily overwhelming all competitors except the Bugatti team.
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