When living in California, de Cad loved dawn rides into the hills on his Vincent to visit favourite airfields and chat with flyers and mechanics.
On trips to India to host Cartier’s Travel with Style concours, he would often extend his visit and hire a Royal Enfield for a long solo adventure.
Riding pals included Peter Fonda, but his ever-competitive style could be disastrous and he rapidly used up his nine lives with a succession of accidents.
He kept riding into his late 60s, but while using his Rickman Métisse to visit a friend, de Cad was side-swiped by a hit-and-run driver on the LA freeway.
Only the bravery of a local commuter, who parked his Range Rover to block the busy traffic, saved the seriously injured rider.
But de Cad loved a challenge, and in 1996 he rode the Isle of Man TT course on a ’72 Triumph Trident in the classic parade.
Full of awe for the brave racers, he simply gasped “outrageous” when interviewed after stepping off in the paddock: “I was more nervous than in any of my Le Mans races.”
An Aston Martin DBR4 driven by Alain de Cadenet during a US GP support race at Long Beach
A great eye for detail led de Cad to many artisan specialists and talented artists.
Over the years he acted as agent for modelmaker Gerald Wingrove, encouraging him to make an Alfa 8C series – modelled on FLC, of course – and painter Nigel Watts was another talent he helped promote.
De Cad’s distinctive style was carefully honed, be it knitted Alfa jumpers, signature Omega watches or custom-made leather aviator jackets.
As well as his encyclopaedic knowledge of philately – he had a fine set of King George V stamps and was an advisor to the royal collection – and Leica cameras, de Cad’s wide range of interests was astonishing.
On one trip, he advised me that vintage Levis were a sure-fire investment, and proceeded to educate me about early stud and stitch details.
From Lawrence of Arabia to Winston Churchill, he loved reading and researching a subject – as his de Cad’s heroes column in Classic & Sports Car confirmed.
That natural passion also made him a great host for the shows he produced with long-time friend and award-winning film-maker Tony Maylam.
Nigel Watts’ painting was inspired by de Cadenet’s mews garage
“I met Alain in the early ’70s while making a film about Graham Hill and he was briefly team manager,” recalls Maylam.
“Not surprisingly, there was a clash of personalities between them. Shortly afterwards I made a film about Le Mans and Alain allowed us to fit a rig to his Lola T380 Cosworth in practice.
“As he blasted around for a full lap he gave a high-speed commentary. He was a natural, and following that we made a number of films together.”
Later projects included Maylam’s superb 1988 movie Across the Lake, with Anthony Hopkins playing Donald Campbell: “Alain helped me build a full-size replica of Bluebird K7, then doubled for Hopkins roaring up and down Coniston.”
De Cad relished the opportunity for an authentic experience – as he later did riding Rollie Free’s Vincent across the Bonneville salt flats for Black Lightning, or driving his 8C on the Targa Florio course in A Sicilian Dream.
When Maylam was enlisted to do the racing footage for Sydney Pollack’s Bobby Deerfield, de Cad joined the team: “We did a deal with Bernie Ecclestone for Carlo Pace to double for the Al Pacino character, and brought in Alain to help with the crash sequence.
“The first take was a disaster and we virtually wrote off the dummy Brabham. Pollack was told it would take several days to repair, but Alain took him aside and said he could fix it overnight – for a fee, of course.
“Pollack got his shot but the art department went crazy. It was a terrible movie but a great payday for us.”
De Cadenet loved his role at Cartier’s Travel with Style concours in Jaipur, India
Victory by Design was the last joint project for Maylam and de Cad.
“We filmed all around the world,” recalls Maylam.
“Our plan was no music or advertising, just the sounds of the cars, the gearchanges, and Alain’s unique enthusiasm.
“The cars are just too valuable for filming now, and he probably drove more important machines than anyone in history.
“When we spoke just before he passed, I told him the series will still be enjoyed by generations to come and his legacy is secure by that alone.
“Alain liked that.”
Images: Classic & Sports Car/James Mann/Mick Walsh Archive/Stewart Cook/Getty
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Mick Walsh
Mick Walsh is Classic & Sports Car’s International Editor