The mystery of a 'dying' French driver

I found an intersting little story in a Swedish motorsport magazine from the early fifties.
It was about a man in France who had been told by his doctor, that he had a serious decease and probably only had a year left to live. He went straight to a car-dealer, bought a racing car and started a career as a racing driver. He immediately became very succesful because of his contempt of death. Then at a race in the south of France he had a serious accident. He hit a wall and was thrown out of the car. He was taken to hospital with only minor wounds, but at the hospital he was informed that he wasn't sick in any deadly decease at all. There had been some sort of mix-up from the beginning. The driver continued his career as a racing-driver, but with a bit more caution.

There is no reference to when (probably before WWII) and no names. Has anybody heard this story before? Is there any truth or is it just a little anecdote?

I know of a similar true story from Sweden in the fifties. An ex-speedway driver who got leukaemia bought a sportscar and did some races with it before he died. But I don't think he showed any special fearlessness.

Similarly, I believe Alan Collins bought the John Goss Sport Sedan Falcon at a time when he knew his time was short...

Sadly, the car was stolen and stripped and/or damaged.

Mike Lance, of course, we have detailed previously.

Sounds almost like Julian Osborn (Fred Astaire) in "On the Beach".

Originally posted by JB Miltonian
Sounds almost like Julian Osborn (Fred Astaire) in "On the Beach".

Or how about the Nevil Norway story. He took up car racing after he was diagnosed with heart problems.