André Héchard

André Héchard was born in Blois, near Orleans in September 1912 He ran a grocers shop was was always more interested in mechanical things; repairing cars, cycles and motorbikes so at 17, he went to work for various garages in Nice and Antibes. After the war, he settled in a small garage in Blois and specialised in repairing diesel injectors.

Becoming Bosch agent, he bought a new Renault 4CV in 1952 to visit clients, but also undertook some competition, tuning the engine with a revised cam and carburettors to try to gain some more power. Through this, he met Rene Bonnet and bought a DB Panhard 500 with his friend Girault, in late 1953.

Andre's known results include:

Montlhéry 17th April 1954, 1st

Montlhéry 19th September 1954, 4th

 

Montlhéry 17th April 1955, 2nd

In June '55, he attended the ill fated Le Mans race as third driver in a VP but did not start so he returned in '56 with Roger Masson in a DB Panhard sports car to finish 12th overall and 7th in the Index of Performance.

The pair returned in 1957, this time in a Lotus XI, finishing 16th and 14th in the Index and in '58 when they failed to finish after an accident.

Now in his 40s, André retired from competition.