Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat
Count Charles-François Gaston Louis Prosper de Chasseloup-Laubat was a French aristocrat and race car driver.
Biography
Born in Paris, he was the son of Prosper, Marquis of Chasseloup-Laubat, minister of the Navy under Napoleon III, and the American Marie-Louise Pilié.He is known for setting the first recognised automobile land speed record on 18 December 1898, in Achères, Yvelines, using a Jeantaud electric car. The record was set as part of a competition organised by the French automobile magazine La France Automobile. He completed a single flying run in 57 seconds to give an average speed of.
He further improved this record to one month later on 17 January 1899, also at Achères, in the first of a series of record setting duels with Camille Jenatzy. Ten days later Jenatzy managed to break this record with a speed of, although it would revert to de Chasseloup-Laubat on 4 March 1899, when he increased it to. Jenatzy finally took the record on 29 April 1899, with the first run to exceed with an average speed of, a record that was to last three years.
Chasseloup-Laubat managed to win the Marseille-La Turbie long-distance race in 1897 with a steam vehicle built by Trépardoux & Cie, predecessor of De Dion-Bouton. This was the only major city-to-city event won by a steam car.
The Count died in Le Cannet, near Cannes, aged 37, after a two-year long illness.