Vaillante
Encyclopedia
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
. Vaillante is featured in the French comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series Michel Vaillant
Michel Vaillant
Michel Vaillant is the title of a Belgian comics series created in 1957 by French cartoonist Jean Graton and published originally by Le Lombard. Later, Graton published the albums by himself when he founded Graton éditeur in 1982...
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In the related comics series
Vaillante was in the beginning a French transporting company. They also created their own trucks and cars, and decided to enter the Formula OneFormula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, with Michel Vaillant
Michel Vaillant
Michel Vaillant is the title of a Belgian comics series created in 1957 by French cartoonist Jean Graton and published originally by Le Lombard. Later, Graton published the albums by himself when he founded Graton éditeur in 1982...
, the son of Henri, as their pilot. The chief designer of Vaillante is Jean-Pierre, the elder brother of Michel Vaillant. The Vaillante logo is very similar to that of actual French auto maker Matra
Matra
Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
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Les Usines Vaillante is the France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-based and automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufacturer created by Henri Vaillant and specialized in trucks and high performance sports cars . Vaillante factories are made up of many training circuits, parking, various buildings for stockage and many offices.
Vaillante team is the name of the motorsport brand which belongs to the Vaillante firm. According to Michel Vaillant albums, Henri Vaillant created it in 1939, when he engaged his own car in the Mans 24 hours race. His team mate was Miss Margareth Ranson, an English female driver. Then Jean-Pierre Vaillant, Henri's son, took over as leader of the team. Some prestigious drivers were employed by the Vaillant team, among them the main characters of the Michel Vaillant series, Michel Vaillant, Jean-Pierre Vaillant, Steve Warson, Yves Douléac, Julie Wood
Julie Wood (comics)
Julie Wood is a comics series drawn and written by French cartoonist Jean Graton. It features the fictional character Julie Wood, who also appeared in some adventures of the comics series Michel Vaillant...
, Gabrielle Spangenberg, but also many non-fictional drivers such as Vanina Ickx
Vanina Ickx
Vanina Ickx is a Belgian racecar driver. She is the daughter of Belgian Formula One driver Jacky Ickx....
, Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
, Didier Pironi
Didier Pironi
Didier Joseph Louis Pironi was a racing driver from France. During his career he competed in 72 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, driving for Tyrrell , Ligier and Ferrari...
, Patrick Tambay
Patrick Tambay
Patrick Daniel Tambay is a French former racing driver. He competed in 123 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, winning twice, securing 5 pole positions and scoring a total of 103 Championship points...
, Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Marc Boutsen is a former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One.-Career:thumb|left|Boutsen driving for [[Arrows]] at the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix]]....
, Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. François Cevert was his brother-in-law ....
, René Arnoux
René Arnoux
René Alexandre Arnoux is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons...
and Éric Bernard
Éric Bernard
Éric Bernard is a retired Formula One racing driver, who drove for the Ligier, Larrousse and Lotus teams....
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A.S.V (Amicale Sportive Vaillant) is the name of the association related to Vaillante. The association have at its disposal a centre of formation and learning for young pilots.
Benjamin Vaillant is the name of an independent transporting company established in Marseilles, run by Benjamin Vaillant, Henri Vaillant's cousin, with the collaboration Mme. Douléac, Yves Douléac's mother.
Non-fictional existence
- Vaillante has a large following in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and there are many toy models of Vaillante cars available for fans, based on the series. - Recently, in 2002, a Vaillante prototype participated in Le Mans24 Hours of Le MansThe 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
to obtain footage for the Luc BessonLuc BessonLuc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...
film Michel VaillantMichel Vaillant (film)Michel Vaillant is a 2003 French movie starring Sagamore Stévenin and Diane Kruger. It depicts events around the 24 hours of Le Mans race, based largely on a comic about the Michel Vaillant character....
. - There have been also a few attempts to create real Vaillante cars, both road cars and racing cars. A driving school project was launched and FR2000 Vaillante team was created by Graton EditeurGraton éditeurGraton Editeur is a French publishing house created by comics drawer and writer Jean Graton in 1982. It is currently owned by Jean Graton and his son Philippe. Graton Editeur have published the works of Jean Graton, among them the famous comics series Michel Vaillant.-History:On February 7, 1957...
and SportsManShip. - In 2006, a prototype blue SEAT IbizaSEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
Vaillante designed by Luc DonckerwolkeLuc DonckerwolkeLuc Donckerwolke, is a Belgian car designer now Design Director of Volkswagen since 22 July 2011.-Background:...
is presented in GenevaSalon International de l'AutoThe International Geneva Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Geneva Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport...
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Main models
- Vaillante Commando
- Vaillante Marathon
- Vaillante Rush
- Vaillante Ouragan
- Vaillante Le Mans