Motor racing driver. Comte Raphael Bethenod de Montbressieux was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of the Count of Montbressieux, a French aristocratic silk maker married to an Argentinian. After three years of racing light cars, he and racer Raymond Sommer went into partnership by buying an Alfa-Romeo Tipo B for the 1935 season. Racing under the name "Raph" he raced successfully during 1935 before changing to a Maserati for the following year. During 1937 he raced Talbot and Delahaye sportscars until a bad crash during the 1937 Le Mans 24hr race resulted in paralysed legs for six months. By the next year he'd recovered enough to return to racing when he raced Maseratis for the Dusio Turino team and Delahayes for the Ecurie Bleue team. After WW2 during 1946/47 he continued to race Maseratis winning at Interlagos, Brasil. For 1948 he bought a new Talbot-Lago 26C and after coming 2nd at Comminges, crashed badly at Albi, and received serious head injuries from which he never fully recovered. He raced again but by 1950 he retired from the sport. Always short of money, he became a handyman and chauffeur to his friend Maurice Chevalier. After Chevalier's death he worked for an agency renting high-class cars on the French Riviera.
Motor racing driver. Comte Raphael Bethenod de Montbressieux was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of the Count of Montbressieux, a French aristocratic silk maker married to an Argentinian. After three years of racing light cars, he and racer Raymond Sommer went into partnership by buying an Alfa-Romeo Tipo B for the 1935 season. Racing under the name "Raph" he raced successfully during 1935 before changing to a Maserati for the following year. During 1937 he raced Talbot and Delahaye sportscars until a bad crash during the 1937 Le Mans 24hr race resulted in paralysed legs for six months. By the next year he'd recovered enough to return to racing when he raced Maseratis for the Dusio Turino team and Delahayes for the Ecurie Bleue team. After WW2 during 1946/47 he continued to race Maseratis winning at Interlagos, Brasil. For 1948 he bought a new Talbot-Lago 26C and after coming 2nd at Comminges, crashed badly at Albi, and received serious head injuries from which he never fully recovered. He raced again but by 1950 he retired from the sport. Always short of money, he became a handyman and chauffeur to his friend Maurice Chevalier. After Chevalier's death he worked for an agency renting high-class cars on the French Riviera.
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