Description

This set of Heuer Autavia stopwatches was used during the 1957 Le Mans 24 Hours to time the class winning Porsche 550A Spyder, chassis no. 550A-0132, entered by American Ed Hugus and driven by him and Carel Godin de Beaufort. Racing in the American colors of white with blue stripes and bearing race number 35, the international duo managed a momentous achievement, their “customer-spec” 550 managing to beat the factory works Porsche entries, winning their class and claiming 8th overall in the process.

The stopwatches were acquired from the estate of Mark Wallach, who served as co-team manager for Hugus' class winning 1957 entry. Several photographs from the Le Mans race, including one showing Wallach wearing the stopwatches around his neck, will be included with the lot.

Ed Hugus was a regular participant at Le Mans who drove in the French epic some ten times between 1956 and 1965, usually behind the wheel of Porsches or Ferraris. He was known for often entering his own cars and was also chosen many times by Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T) as a team driver, given his ability to consistently deliver endurance racing results.

The late Mark Wallach was best known as a prolific automotive journalist and European race team manager. He was also a steering wheel manufacturer, inventor and medical engineer. He was a technical writer from the very beginning for Motor Trend (1949) and has been published and featured in publications and documentaries including Road & Track, Cavallino, Inside Ferrari, Prancing Horse, The Star, Classic and Sports Car, as well as Pur Sang for the American Bugatti Club.

He managed five teams during the golden age of Le Mans while chronicling that time period as a journalist, photographer, and commentator. From there he continued into automotive design, then fine sports car wood rim steering wheel design. Later he would become a regular judge at The Greenwich Concours d' Elegance and Vice President of the Madison Ave. Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society.

This remarkable item is a direct connection to the golden era of Le Mans and to Porsche's 1957 class win at Le Sarthe.