One hundred years ago come July 25 – America (with help from German and Irish immigrant genes) won the 1921 Grand Prix of the Automobile Club de France. That first post-WW1 international Grand Prix race comprised 30 laps of the 10.75-mile Sarthe circuit at Le Mans. A glorious home win for new French manufacturer Ernest Ballot’s team of 3-litre straight-8 twin-overhead camshaft cars had been predicted, but it had been foiled.