The Automobile Club féminin de France (ACFF) was a French women-only automobile club founded in 1926.Jacques Rousseau, Michel Iatca, Histoire mondiale de l'automobile, Hachette, 1958
History The Automobile Club féminin de France was founded in 1926 by Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart, the sporting Duchess of Uzès and the first woman in France to earn a driving licence, in 1898. The ACFF was set up to be the female equivalent of the Automobile Club de France (ACF) as the ACF did not allow women to join their organisation.Pierre Arnaud, Histoire du sport féminin: Sport masculin, L'Harmattan, 1996 At the same time, the Duchess of Uzès created the official publication for the club, the Revue de l'Automobile Club féminin, which was published for 14 years.
The ACFF's membership were very well off, as motoring in the 1920s was an expensive undertaking which only the richest people could afford. At the end of 1908, it is estimated that there were around 40,000 cars in France.Michel Winock, Les derniers feux de la Belle Époque. Chronique culturelle d'une avant-guerre 1913-1914, Seuil l'Histoire . A number of the women on the ACFF committee had husbands who were involved in running the ACF. Committee members included women from the Rothschild family, socialites and women connected with the nascent motor production trade. Members could add an ACFF badge to their car, mounted to their radiator cap.
The ACFF was about more than motor racing, and organised social activities for women interested in motoring, although rallying was a large part of their programme. They organised motorised paper chases and treasure hunt rallies, tours and meets at members’ estates. The events were recorded in the Revue de l'Automobile Club féminin magazine, which was published by Count Edme de Rohan-Chabot, founder of the Rallye Paris – Saint-Raphaël Féminin. The Revue offered advice on vehicle maintenance, road safety and tips for road trips. It showcased notable club members and pioneers of women in motoring, and served as a platform for defending the rights of women drivers. It featured new cars, new technological advances, driving laws and regulations and served as a mechanism for women motorists to exchange ideas and experiences. It also carried advertising for motoring products and services.
ACFF rallies 1925: Paris-La Baule
1930: Paris-Cannes event won by Magdeleine, Comtesse de Ganay in a Renault Reinastella car.
1931: Paris-Amsterdam
1932: Paris-Rome
1934: Surprise rally - ending in Rambouillet
1935: Forest trial, won by Jacqueline Seligmann, a Chanel dress was the prize.
1935: Winter Sports Rally from Paris-Chamonix
1936: Paris and Le Touquet, won by Jacqueline Seligmann.
Presidents
1926: Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart until her death.Jean-François Bouzanquet, Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888 to 1970, Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2009 1933: Élaine Greffulhe
Notable members Giorigina Bingen, wife of car manufacturer Andre Citroen Magdeleine Goüin Marguerite Mareuse, one of the first women to race at Le Mans Beatrice Reinach. Hélène van Zuylen
Gallery
See also
Aéroclub féminin la Stella
References