"I love driving on the autobahn in Germany," says Rodolphe Rapetti.
And of course the lack of a speed limit plays a role in this love.
Rapetti, 62, likes quick progress.
Sometimes he also drives on racetracks.
Most recently, however, a new project kept him busy, because the director of the “Musée national de la voiture Château de Compiègne” curated the “Vitesse” exhibition, which can be seen there until the end of March.
DER SPIEGEL spoke to him about the show, which combines vehicles and art.
SPIEGEL:
Monsieur Rapetti, the top speed is still an important key figure for a car.
Why is that?
Rapetti:
In fact, the top speed is totally irrelevant to the everyday use of a car.
Even so, many people are interested in it because it is about dreams.
SPIEGEL:
Your exhibition pays homage to speed.
But you write in the catalog that speed is the "eighth deadly sin".
What exactly is the viciousness of speed?
Rapetti:
Hardly anyone speaks of sin today.
The term fits here exactly, because speed can bring death.
And at the same time, speed is also a form of liveliness.
It is interesting that fast vehicles always look particularly beautiful.
It’s about these connections.
And to be clear: Nobody should be encouraged to drive fast here.
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SPIEGEL:
Which exhibits should visitors definitely pause in front of in order to get closer to the essence of speed?
Rapetti:
You should definitely take a look at the Ferrari 166 MM - a symbol of speed: light, elegant and fast.
It was the first Ferrari racing car to claim international victories.
In its first racing year in 1949, the car won the Mille Miglia and the Le Mans 24-hour race.
Then I recommend lingering in front of the picture “Automobile in Corsa” by Luigi Russolo from 1913, because it captures speed in a symbolist-futuristic imagery.
And thirdly, in front of José Meiffret's self-made racing bike, with which he drove over 200 km / h in 1962 - a world record!
SPIEGEL:
Which of the historical exhibits still look fast today?
Rapetti:
Well, some of them don't look fast anymore, but they still were.
For example the sleigh of Napoleon's wife, Empress Joséphine.
It looks more like an elegant piece of furniture, but could be pulled over the snow at up to 15 km / h.
Today that's no longer a speed that sounds kind of exciting.
Back then, around 1800, it was pretty quick.
SPIEGEL:
Do you have a favorite piece?
Rapetti:
It's definitely the Ferrari.
The 166 MM, the winning car at Le Mans 1949. With the two-liter V12 engine, it outclassed the much more abundant motorized competition from Delage and Delahaye at Le Mans.
Nobody had thought that this little Italian racing car could do that.
That is why the triumph was all the more complete.
SPIEGEL:
The philosopher Paul Virilio put it that speed is the hidden side of wealth.
How do you recognize that in the exhibition?
Rapetti:
This aspect was not our focus.
We are the world's first museum for carriages and cars, it was founded in 1927.
So we initially started with our own collection and looked to see which exhibits are exceptional in terms of speed.
The exhibition is therefore something like a speed typology for vehicles.
SPIEGEL:
The collection in Compiègne also includes the “Jamais Contente” electric car, which Belgian racing driver Camille Jenatzy first drove faster than 100 km / h in 1899.
At that time he was called the "red devil" ...
Rapetti:
The diabolical aspect of speed emerges there too.
As the automobile became popular, so too did the speed that an individual could achieve.
That was something mysterious, and for many probably also something sinister and threatening.
SPIEGEL:
The currently fastest electric car, the Venturi VBB-3, which reached a speed of 549 km / h in 2016, is also on display in the exhibition.
Is it still a car at all?
Rapetti:
Of course it's a car.
After all, unlike the record-breaking rocket vehicles, the wheels are still driven.
We are very proud to be able to show it in the exhibition because it has not been shown outside of Monaco, the headquarters of Venturi, before.
SPIEGEL:
Speed and aerodynamics belong together, which is why particularly fast vehicles are designed to be particularly streamlined.
What is this symbiosis?
Rapetti:
There's a connection that when you shape a fast car, it automatically looks better.
Engineers and designers discovered aerodynamics in the 1920s, and this discipline has been refined and shaped our vehicles ever since.
SPIEGEL:
The exhibition doesn't just show vehicles, it also shows 77 drawings and ten paintings.
How can you fix speed on a picture?
Rapetti:
Speed cannot be recorded.
Nevertheless, artists have tried again and again.
Our museum has thousands of paintings, lithographs, and drawings depicting vehicles.
And we are showing some in the exhibition that also focus on speed.
The futurists made that very explicit.
Still, one has to admit that photography, and especially film, can show speed much better than painting.
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Rapetti, the first car race took place in France, there is a long French tradition of speed.
Tempo 30 has been in effect in Paris since August 30, 2021.
What do you think?
Rapetti:
I live in Compiègne and Paris, and every time I'm in Paris I get the impression that nobody cares about 30 km / h.
It is also simply not possible.
You're trying to get somewhere, and as quickly as possible.
And do you know how I can best do it?
In Paris, I either ride my bike or take a taxi.
