Who was the first woman to drive a car? Who were some of the female pioneers of rallying and racing? Meet six women who contributed to the development and achievements of the automotive industry over the last 150 years.
Bertha Benz - first woman to drive a long distance
On 5 August 1888, aged 39, Bertha Benz was the first woman - in fact the first person - to drive a car over a long distance. She was testing out her husband Carl Benz’s three-wheeled Patent-Motorwagen. She drove it from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany, a distance of 105 km. The story goes that she did it to encourage Carl and show him that his invention worked, but she did it all without telling him. She took the car from the factory early one morning with the help of her sons Richard and Eugen (aged 13 and 15).
The journey - which took her to visit her mother - wasn’t without difficulties and Bertha had to draw on her own technical skills and knowledge, including by cleaning a blocked fuel line with a hair pin and using her garter as insulation material! The brakes were made from wood and when they began to fail, Bertha visited a cobbler en route to line them with leather. With only two gears, the car also struggled to make it up hills and the boys had to get out and push.
Her journey caused a bit of a stir, gaining worldwide attention and ultimately led to the company’s first sales.
Minnie Palmer - first woman in England to own a car
Minnie Palmer became internationally famous for her starring role in William Gill's musical My Sweetheart. The American-born actress became the first woman in England to own and drive a car - a French-made Rougemont - in 1897.
Camille du Gast - 'greatest sportswoman of all time'
Camille du Gast was what might now be known as an adrenaline junkie - she was a balloonist, parachutist, fencer, tobogganist, skier, rifle shooter. She was the second woman to compete in an international motor race and the first woman to race consistently at international level. The publisher of the New York Herald Gordon Bennett called her ‘the greatest sportswoman of all time’ [wikipedia].
In 1901, Camille was one of two women who competed in the Paris-Berlin race. Camille drove a 20hp Panhard, starting last out of 122 drivers but finishing 33rd. When her motor racing career came to an end in 1904 - because the French government banned women from taking part in motor sports - she turned her attention to speed boats.
Eliška Junková - 'Queen of the steering wheel'
Eliška Junková bought a Bugatti Type 30 in 1922 with her husband, Vincenc Junek. Eliška took on a role as mechanic but when her husband was injured, she got an opportunity to take the driver’s seat. In 1924 she raced at Lachotin-Tremosna, winning the touring car category. It wasn’t long before Eliška was competing across Europe against the best male drivers, earning herself the nickname ‘Queen of the Steering Wheel’. In 1927, she won the two-litre sports car class of the German Grand Prix at the new Nürburgring. But it was here at the Nürburgring the following year that a tragic racing accident killed her husband and the devastation she felt ended Eliška’s participation in the sport.
Maria Teresa de Filippis - first woman to drive in Formula One
Maria Teresa de Filippis had a short but significant Formula One career. She was the first woman ever to drive in Formula One, when she raced in a Maserati 250F in May 1958 in Monaco. Maria Teresa’s qualifying time was not sufficient to get her a place on the starting grid this time, but at the Belgian Grand Prix later that year, Maria Teresa got another chance and qualified in 19th place. She finished the race in tenth (and last) place after other cars failed to finish. Maria Teresa took part in other F1 races but never managed another finish, with her last attempt being at the Monaco Grand Prix for the Behra-Porsche RSK team in 1959. It wasn’t her difficulty in crossing the finish line that ended her career, but the death of the Porsche team leader in a racing accident, which affected her so much she retired from racing.
Michèle Mouton - first woman to win a World Championship rally
Michèle Mouton is a former French rally driver. She started rallying in 1973 and started winning French and European Women’s Championship titles soon after. In 1981 Michèle and Italian co-driver Fabrizia Pons became the first women to win a World Championship rally, driving as part of the Audi team in Sanremo.
In 2010, Michèle Mouton became the first president of the FIA's Women & Motor Sport Commission. In a statement at the time, Michèle said that ‘Women already have their place in motor sport; they have proved it. But for many years people have asked me why there have been no women following in my footsteps. I really hope the Commission can help answer that question and that we can attract and support women in all areas of our sport.’