Gaston Desprez (1864-1938) was a French inventor and theatre director. The son of an industrialist, he was the inventor of a suspension spring for the rolling kitchens of soldiers in World War I. He directed the Cirque d'Hiver from 1923 to 1934.
You can read more about him here: http://www.circopedia.org/Cirque_d%E2%80%99Hiver
Gaston had two brothers, André and Marcel, who were well-known circus performers. From the 1920s to just after World War II, they performed under the name, Les Frères Desprez. One of their acts was a cycling number called, The Death Race, during which they twirled around cycling above a cage of lions. They also toured with their ‘double somersault’ car act. Travelling throughout Europe, North Africa, and India as a stunt duo, their performance involved launching a car in the air, spinning it around twice, and landing perfectly upright. The 1949 French film, Portrait d'un Assassin, highlighted the routine and used the brothers as stunt men.
Here's the video:
https://youtu.be/ekd6vKXMKv0?si=h_gB0Tz4hli-S0I3
