From butchery to tracks: Who is the micro-car designer Guy Ligier?
Guy Ligier, who started his working life as a butcher, entered Formula 1 with the car he bought with his own money, and later produced racing cars, is today known not only for racing but also for "microcars".
No matter how many people have become famous in the world, there is definitely a story behind them... The stories of the automotive world are different... This sector is the arena of people who come from other jobs, become an automotive man as a dream, or try to survive by continuing their father's legacy. That's why I don't have to go to the "deserts" or polar ice caps to find something to write about... Because watching and researching the automotive world is enough for this...
Yes, I told you, the automotive world is a very different and colorful place. For example, imagine that a man who was orphaned at the age of 7 when he was a farmer and started to work as a butcher's apprentice to earn money, will one day become the boss of the F1 team, produce racing cars and achieve great success in Europe with the micro cars he has developed and produced. Of course, we are talking about the life of Guy Camille Ligier, who passed away. His entrepreneurial acumen, perseverance, and maybe a little luck had made him a name in the automotive world.
As I have just mentioned, Liger, who started his career as a butcher's apprentice, was trying to take part in many branches due to his fondness for sports. Being a competitive and athletic personality, he joined the rowing team while working in the butcher shop. Liger, who won the rowing championship in France in 1947, was also very interested in American football (rugby). When he enlisted, he took part in the French army team and later entered the B team of the French National League. However, an injury cut his rugby career short, but it did not end his sports career. This time he decided to enter the races. He became the French Motorcycle Champion between 1959-60 with his 500 cc motorcycle.
In the meantime, he first rented an excavator with the money he earned from the butchery and then bought an old bulldozer and got into the construction business. The highway construction business in France was accelerating, which opened a new window for Ligier. He founded a company and started a highway construction business. In 1961, it had 1200 employees and a machine park of 500 vehicles. He made important friends who would later take part in the country's administration, such as François Mitterrand and Pierre Beregovoy.
But auto racing was another of his dreams and he should definitely try it. He participated in the race once in 1957, but could not bring the rest. He participated in races with many different cars between 1961-65. His debut in Formula 1, however, was when he started at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1966 in the Cooper-Maserati T81 race car he had bought. Although he participated in 5 races with the vehicle in question, he raced out of the classification, that is, without points. Meanwhile, he became the French distributor of Ford-Shelby products with Jo Schlesser, who was his teammate for a while.
1967 Ligier came 8th in the race in Germany, which he also participated in with his own car, and received the "single" point of his F1 career. Despite participating in 13 races, this score did not come back... However, he achieved another success in this regard, producing his own racing cars and establishing Ligier F1 Team.
From the 1970s until the 1990s, when racing car production and the team were handed over to the famous racer Alain Prost, the racing cars under the brand Liger achieved significant success. The first racing car he produced was the "JS1", which he named with his initials in memory of his friend Jo Schlesser, who died in a racing accident. In 1970, this vehicle took first place. Then came JS2 and JS3. It also produced road versions of these two cars. JS2 finished 2nd at Le Mans in 1975. In 1976, Matra turned from the ashes of the F1 Team into an F1 racing car manufacturer. However, apart from a few successes, F1 cars have not been able to sustain success in other branches. It was sold to Alain Prost in 1991 and produced cars for famous pilots. However, with Prost's bankruptcy, another venture bought the naming rights of Ligier and it still continues production.
From the oil crisis to micro-autos
Guy Ligier, while dealing with construction work, was also buying the factories and machinery of bankrupt small manufacturers to enter the automobile business. Indeed, in the 1970s, he bought what was left of the bankrupt "Monica" car company, as well as Matra's F1 business. It did not produce under the Monica name again, but in the early 1980s it entered the production of "tractor cabins". Meanwhile, he took advantage of the oil crisis and decided to enter the "microcar" business. These were low-speed vehicles called "voitures", which can be used in France even today without the need for a driver's license.
The "Ligier JS4", the first model of this type he produced, originally had a tiny 49cc motorcycle engine "developed from a tractor cab". This car was preferred not only by young people without a license but also by adults who lost their licenses.
Liger, which acquired other companies in 2004, also released racing cars such as 'JS49', 'JS51' and 'JS53'. In 2008, Ligier and Microcar merged under the roof of the LAGIGER Group, forming a "micro-car empire".
But he couldn't get away from racing cars. This time, he started to advise the company called "Onroak", which produces cars and prototypes competing in the "Endurance Championship" of OAK Racing. His son, Philippe Liger, also took on the vehicle development work. Until he passed away in 2015, the car was always on his mind and idea...