3/12/1898 - 22/2/1943
Record updated
Better known in racing as Prince de Cystria, he drove a Bugatti at Indy in 1923 finishing 9th. He also raced in the ACF Grand Prix that year.
Prince Bertrand Marie Ponse François Raphael de Faucigny-Lucinge was born on 3 December 1898 in Paris, France. He was the son of Prince Ferdinand Marie Gaspard François Robert Louis de Faucigny-Lucinge and Raphaele de Cahen.
He married, firstly, Princess Paule Murat, who was a distant relative of Napoleon, on the 28th August 1919 in Paris. He and Princess Paule Murat were divorced in 1926. He then married Maria Lydia Hualberta Lloveras on 26 December 1927. A friend of the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, the red headed Maria was immensely rich but lost her fortune through a dishonest administrator.
In 1923 Bugatti could not support a full works team. So for the Indy 500, three cars were therefor sold in order to finance the venture. Prince de Cystria purchased one as did de Alzaga and Raoul Riganti. They became private entries while Pierre de Vizcaya and Count Louis Zborowski took part as works drivers. In the race, the low pressure oil system could not cope with the high speeds at Indianapolis, four cars retired and only Prince de Cystria finished, in ninth place. The race was won by Tommy Milton in a Miller 122.
He also drove a Type 30 in the ACF Grand Prix that year but retired after 12 laps.
His family acquired the Le château de Coat-an-Noz in 1859 but Bertrand sold it in 1923 to cover debts. Whether these were due to his racing is not documented. He did not reappear on the tracks.
He appears to had some more problems in 1930 coming into contact with the law for bouncing checks and for the possession of drugs.
He died in Paris in 1943 at just 44 years of age.
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