Porsche's Le Man Legacy

Porsche and Le Mans stand for tradition, continuity and success. The Zuffenhausen-based company has participated in the world's most famous long-distance race since 1951, celebrating its 66th anniversary with this year's event. With 15 victories overall, Porsche is far ahead of Ferrari (nine) and Jaguar (seven).

Porsche and Le Mans are linked with the names of outstanding racing drivers, including Derek Bell, a five-time winner here in Porsche cars. Or Jacky Ickx, with four victories in a Stuttgart racer. Klaus Ludwig, Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert all claimed three wins, and Hans-Joachim Stuck finished the marathon twice as victor in a Porsche. In all, 24 drivers contributed to Porsche overall wins, amongst them Hans Herrmann, Henri Pescarolo, and Yannick Dalmas.

Porsche and Le Mans is a tale of a "wonderful friendship" which developed in an unusual fashion shortly after the end of the WWII. Charles Faroux, racing journalist and father of the 24-hour race, helped to get the company's founder, Prof. Ferdinand Porsche, released from a French P.O.W. camp. Prof. Porsche was unfortunately not to see the 1951 Le Mans debut of the vehicle bearing his name, when Frenchmen Veuillet and Mouche, driving a 356 lightweight Coupé, won the 1.1-litre class. Their boxer engine delivered 44 hp. Thanks to its streamlined body, that was enough to reach 160 kph.

In the first 15 years, Porsche was quite happy to pad along as the underdog. The 550 Spyder, RSK and RS models collected many class wins and - for the first time in 1955 with von Frankenberg and Polensky - won the index ranking. This classification based on engine size enjoyed a high reputation at that time. In the late 60's Porsche went for outright wins. In 1967 Jo Siffert and Jochen Rindt, in a 2-litre 907, were already averaging over 200 kph - finishing fifth overall. In 1969, the first outright win was very close. By hour 22, the new 917 of Elford/Attwood was in the lead when the clutch went. And Le Mans saw the most legendary finish to date, with Jacky Ickx taking the flag in a Ford GT40 120 metres ahead of the Porsche 908 driven by German Hans Herrmann. In 1970, Hermann, along with Dick Attwood, made up for the previous year's defeat. And in 1971, a 917 repeated the triumph, this time with Marko and van Lennep, achieving the still unbroken record average of 222 kph (138 mph).

The next winning number was 936. The open Spyder won the overall classification three times (1976, 1977 and 1981). 1977 was a dramatic race with Jürgen Barth´s narrow win in a 936 running on only five cylinders.

The success achieved by the 936 was continued by the 956 in Group C. Between 1982 and 1985, it took Le Mans victories with clockwork regularity. The dominance of the 750 hp model was proven in the 1983 event, when it took the first eight places. It was not an easy triumph for Schuppan/Haywood/Holbert though: an open door altered the air flow to a cooler, and the engine overheated. Sitting literally in the hot seat, one more lap would have put an end to Holbert´s fine drive.

If the factory team missed an event or was forced to retire, one of the many customer teams was standing ready to take over. This happened in 1979, when Klaus Ludwig, partnered by the American Whittington brothers won in a Kremer 935 K3. Ludwig went back out and did it again on two more occasions, in 1984 and 1985, this time in the legendary Joest 956 with starting number 7. In more recent times, the customer teams were also successful. The Dauer-Porsche brought home a victory in 1994 and the WSC Joest-Porsche Spyder triumphed in 1996 and 1997.

Even an event as steeped in tradition at Le Mans must sometimes open the door to change. The 13.6 kilometre course south of the capital of the Déparement de la Sarthe is still a mixture of open road and permanent circuit. But over the years, the organizing A.C.O. have made modifications to increase safety. For some years now, two chicanes have slowed the drivers on the 5 km Hunaudières straight. The traditional Le Mans start, with drivers sprinting across the track to their cars, is no more. Gone too is the signaling system at the southern end of the circuit in Mulsanne, and the garages in the local villages where the teams prepared their vehicles for the race. But still, Le Mans remains one of the greatest spectacles in motor racing, and the "wonderful friendship" it has fostered with Porsche is stronger than ever.