Industrialist Alexandre Lamblin commissioned René Jamin to design a 2.548 km oval-shaped track capable of handling vehicles weighing up to 1,000 kg at speeds of up to 220 km/h. Initially called the Autodrome Parisien, the circuit was notable from the outset for its especially high banking, which allowed cars to maintain very high speeds through the turns without lifting off the throttle. A road course was added alongside the oval in 1925, giving the complex a dual character that would serve both outright speed record attempts and conventional circuit racing for decades.
In 1939 the track was sold to the French government, which deprived it of proper maintenance during World War II. In December 1946 ownership passed to the Union technique de l'automobile et du cycle (Utac), which has managed the facility ever since. The last certification for competitive racing was granted in 2001.
The inaugural race at Montlhéry was the 1925 French Grand Prix, held on 26 July 1925 and organised by the Automobile Club of France. Robert Benoist drove a Delage to victory, but the event was overshadowed by the fatal accident of Antonio Ascari, who died when his Alfa Romeo P2 crashed during the race. The French Grand Prix returned in 1927 and was held at the circuit annually from 1931 to 1937, making Montlhéry one of the most important venues in interwar European motor racing.
Beyond championship events, Montlhéry attracted drivers and manufacturers seeking outright speed and endurance records. In July 1926 Violette Cordery led a team that averaged 113.8 km/h over 8,047 km in an Invicta, making her the first woman to be awarded the Dewar Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club. In 1929 Hellé Nice drove an Oméga-Six to victory in the all-female Grand Prix at the circuit. In 1961 a team of eight riders representing British motorcycle manufacturer Veloce set a world record on a near-standard Velocette Venom Clubman machine, exceeding 100 mph for 24 consecutive hours — a record for a 500 cc machine that still stands.
The "Coupe du Salon," the "Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or," and the "1000 km" were organised irregularly at the venue after the main championship events ended, though the track's demanding high-speed characteristics contributed to several serious incidents over the years.
Montlhéry was a prominent motorcycle racing venue in parallel with its car racing programme. The Grand Prix de France was staged there in 1925, 1931, 1935 and 1937. The Bol d'Or, France's celebrated 24-hour motorcycle endurance race, was held at Montlhéry before World War II from 1937 to 1939, and again after the war in 1949, 1950, and from 1952 to 1960, with further editions in 1969 and 1970. British machines dominated for much of this period, with Velocette, Norton and Triumph winning most often. French racer Gustave Lefèvre riding a Norton Manx holds the all-time record of seven victories, notably completing the 24-hour race solo in 1953 at an average of 107 km/h. In 1969 a Honda Four became the first Japanese motorcycle to win the Bol d'Or at this venue.
The circuit's high-speed character came at a cost. Antonio Ascari died at the 1925 French Grand Prix. Fatal accidents at the autodrome later included the deaths of Benoît Nicolas Musy in 1956 and a 1964 accident in which Peter Lindner, Franco Patria, and three flag marshals were killed.
In 1933 the circuit hosted the UCI Road World Championships for cycling. In 2010 the banked Speed Ring was used as the filming location for Ken Block's Gymkhana Three video, an advertisement for DC Shoes, bringing the historic oval to a new global audience through motorsport-adjacent popular culture.
Montlhéry's banked oval stands as one of the great survivors of the early automotive age, a concrete testament to the ambition of 1920s motorsport engineering. Its combination of steeply banked oval and infield road course influenced circuit design across Europe, and its role in interwar French Grand Prix history, motorcycle endurance racing, and outright speed record attempts gives it a layered significance that few venues can match. The site remains under Utac ownership and continues to serve as a vehicle testing and events facility.