La Puce Bleue’s return to Le Mans

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Almost 10 years after having found the long-lost 1966 Le Mans Mini Marcos, which became known as La Puce Bleue, or The Blue Flea, the car’s restoration has now been finalized. And without wanting to fatigue you with all the ups and downs of the painstaking restoration itself, let’s focus on what happened recently. Almost exactly 60 years after the little Marcos finished the 24-hours race right in the middle of that famous Ford-Ferrari fight, it returned to Le Mans. To Le Mans Classic Legends to be precise. It was the first time to set its wheels on the Circuit de la Sarthe after all those years, and what an event it became!

Before we had even entered the circuit, however, the weekend had already produced its first magical moment. Opening the trailer outside the main gate immediately drew a crowd. Two visitors recognised the car and hesitatingly drew near. One turned out to be a former Marcos racer; the other had lived close to the Marcos Cars factory as a teenager in the mid-1960s and vividly recalled seeing the original Mini Marcos prototype being built there. Remember we had only arrived minutes earlier! 

Originally intended for display at Maxi Austin magazine, the Blue Flea was soon claimed by the organisers for the official Le Mans Heritage exhibition. Parked on grass laid out for the occasion it was featured alongside 9 other legendary Le Mans machines including Bentley 4½ Litre, Jaguar D-type, a rather special rebodied Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, Ford GT40 Mk1 and Porsche 908. Then came the invitation none of us expected. Would we like to take part in a promotional film for the 2027 Le Mans Classic by driving the heritage cars around the full circuit? The only catch was that filming would begin at 3:30 on Sunday morning. No problem!

And so we found ourselves returning to a circuit that night, which was still alive with racing and excitement. As the cars rolled out of their display, the Blue Flea drove into the pit lane it had last used in July ‘66. Applauded by mechanics and photographers, the little Marcos was back where it belonged. The lap itself was unforgettable. Through the Esses, Tertre Rouge and onto the Mulsanne Straight, the Marcos felt eager and alive, happily stretching its legs once again as it is no car to drive slowly with its ultra high gearing and equally hot camshaft. Sharing the track with a roaring 908 and flame-spotting GT40, while camera cars flashed beside us in the darkness, was as surreal as it was exhilarating. For one glorious lap it was easy to imagine the calendar had turned back to 1966.

The remainder of the weekend brought more memorable encounters, including meeting Alexandre Giraud, son of the original team manager Hubert Giraud, and presenting the car's extraordinary story to enthusiastic members of the French Mini Register. Sincere thanks go to Renaud Surteauville, Erwan Guiochon, Joost van Diën and everyone else whose enthusiasm and generosity made this return possible. For a car thought lost forever it was a remarkable return, adding one more chapter to a story that seemed destined to remain unfinished.

Words Jeroen Booij
Pictures Erwan Guiochon, Thomas Pontiroli, Jeroen Booij

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