Louis Wagner 1882-1960
American Grand Prize Champion 1908
Louis Wagner was only 20 years of age when he started racing in
a rare automobile called the “Gladiator”. He drove a Darracq in the 1903 Paris to Madrid race
and took the Darracq to the Vanderbilt Cup race in Long Island in 1906, winning the event. After an infamous
fight with team owner Alexander Darracq at Targa Florio, Wagner left the team.
Wagner signed
on with Fiat in 1908 and battled for the American Grand Prize in Savannah, Georgia, emerging as the victor of the great race
in front of a crowd of 200,000 spectators. In 1912, Wagner placed 2nd in a Fiat in the French
Grand Prix and in 1914 he placed second at the race again, this time in a Mercedes. After World War I,
Wagner resumed his racing career with Fiat and in 1921 he drove to second place in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Wagner continued racing for many years and drove a Ballot, a Rolland-Pilain, an Alfa-Romeo, a Delage. He
gave Peugeot a second place finish at Targa Florio. He came in 6th in the 24 Hours Le Mans in
an Aries. With teammate Robert Senechal, Wagner won the British Grand Prix in 1926. In
1927, he set a lap record at the French Grand Prix, driving a Talbot. This was his last racing season.
Wagner later suffered an injury and had his leg amputated. Regardless he continued to drive and
up until the mid 1950’s was driving his 1911 Delage to Vintage car meets and teaching at Montlhery.
