Jacques Alméras
in association with
THE DRIVE TO our lunch stop was defined by amusing anecdotes and near misses. Jacques Alméras doesn’t lift for anything. On arrival, he’s all smiles, his passengers a tangle of arms and legs, profanity making way for fits of giggles as we stare at each other in disbelief. Our amiable host is 71 years young, fearless and modest, although he could be forgiven for doing the big I Am.
If you love Porsches – if you love motorsport – you will be familiar with the Alméras Frères team and its creations. Jacques and his older sibling Jean-Marie have fielded cars in rallying, circuit racing and hillclimbing over more than half a century, during which time they have racked up 17 titles at national and international level. What’s more, they have remained faithful to the German marque. And that’s before you factor in the many famous – infamous, even – ‘tuner’ cars that have emerged from its workshops in Montpelier since the late 1970s. The roll-call of past masters to have competed in Alméras-prepared Porsches spans Walter Röhrl, Björn Waldegård, Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Michèle
