Porsche in Le Mans

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Meet the Heroes of Le Mans Mission 2014. Our Return.

Porsche at Le Mans

Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Porsche and the 24 Hours of Le Mans

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Porsche and the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Porsche in the starting line-up for 63 years

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the most famous endurance race in the world. The post-war story of the 24 Heures du Mans begins in the year 1949. And already in 1951 – the pro-

duction of the first sports cars in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen commenced in March the previous

year – a small delegation from Porsche KG tackles the high-speed circuit 200 kilometres west of Paris in the Sarthe department.

Class victory right at the outset for the 356 SL Aluminium Coupé marks the beginning of one of the most illustrious legends in motor racing: Porsche and Le Mans. Race cars from Porsche have contested Le Mans every year since 1951. The reward for this incredible stamina (Porsche is the only marque to have competed for 63 years without a break) is a raft of records, including 16 overall wins and 102 class victories to 2013. The sporting competition and success at the top echelon of racing in one of the world’s most famous arenas is as much a part of Porsche as the number combination 911.

After a number of class wins in the early fifties with the 550, the first time on the podium in the overall classification came in 1958 with the 718 RSK clinching third place. In 1968, Porsche turns the fastest qualifying lap for the first time. It is the 908 driven by Jo Siffert

and Hans Herrmann, who go on to clinch third in the race. In 1969, the mighty 917 makes

its debut and is running in the lead when clutch failure forces it into retirement. In 1970 the time has come. Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood win in a 917 short tail. One year later, Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko repeat this feat. In 1976 and 1977 the Porsche

936 Spyder is victorious on the Circuit des 24 Heures with a turbo engine, just as all other victories will be achieved with turbo technology. The triumph of the 935 K3 in 1979 marks

the first victory for a customer team and the only overall win for a rear-engined car. After

the next win of the 936 in 1981, Porsche fields the 956 in 1982. It is the first racing sports

car from Porsche to feature an aluminium monocoque. The body generates ground effect,

known from Formula 1, achieving previously unheard of cornering speeds. The 956 and its 962 C successor win the races from 1982 to 1987 without interruption. In 1994, Porsche

wins again with a modified version of the 962, before the Joest TWR-Porsche WSC Spyder

Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Porsche and the 24 Hours of Le Mans

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snatches first in 1996 and 1997. Porsche clinches its most recent overall victory in 1998 with the 911 GT1 98. The most successful Porsche race drivers in Le Mans are Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell with four victories apiece. Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert net three overall wins each.

More than six decades in Le Mans represent more than six decades of technical change

and pioneering achievements. Traditionally, the organising body Automobile Club de l‘Ouest

(ACO) formulates arguably the most innovation regulations at the top level of racing. Porsche

never fails to use the chance to put new technologies through a trial by fire that no test

drive could offer. The 904 of 1964 showcases the durability of extremely light metal-plastic

composite technology. In 1974, the first turbocharged 911 easily passes the endurance test with long periods at full throttle, like on the 5.8 kilometre Hunaudières straight. From 1982 onwards, cutting-edge solutions for the engine electronics and aerodynamics help the 956 to achieve an unparalleled streak of wins. In 1986, Porsche campaigns the racing version of the ground-breaking 959 (Type 961) featuring all-wheel drive, sequential turbocharging – and a standard gearbox.

Sophisticated aerodynamics for the long straights and ultra-fast corners, exceptional suspen-

sions and brakes, the lightest yet high-strength design as well as superior engine performance

are the ingredients for racing success. In Le Mans – and the ACO attaches the greatest importance on this – the magic word “efficiency” is another decisive factor. It belongs to the tradition of the 24 Heures to curtail the amount of fuel used for the marathon sprint yet at the same time leave the door open for alternative power units. The path to victory at Le Mans is, more than at any other race, a question of intelligent performance. Only the

cleverly-bundled total package of high, sustainable speed and the lowest possible consump-

tion has the chance to succeed. Efficiency wins. The ACO rewards the best efficiency with

prestigious accolades like the Index of Performance or the Index of Thermal Efficiency. Here as well, Porsche can be proud of its unmatched success. As early as 1955, the 550 Spyder

won the fuel consumption classification. Even the 917 netted the efficiency prizes at its

historic victories in 1970 and 1971. More recently, from 2007 to 2011, the 911 GT3 proved

unbeatable in its class in terms of fuel efficiency and won the Michelin Green X Challenge.

In 2014, Porsche again takes up the gauntlet in the fight for overall victory utilising ground-

breaking technologies that combine the highest performance on the race track with the highest efficiency.

Meet the Heroes of Le Mans • Over 100 Porsche victories since 1951

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Over 100 Porsche victories since 1951

A record: 16 overall victories in the Le Mans race

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the greatest challenge that exists in endurance racing. Porsche

race cars have taken up this challenge every year since 1951. No other marque has managed

to take on the demands of this marathon with such stamina. 102 class wins including sixteen overall victories scored by the works team and international customer squads represent an unparalleled record. The Circuit des 24 Heures – this is the arena for the sporting competition at the highest level. Here is the story of Porsche at Le Mans.

1951 to 1959

From “aluminium can” to first podium

356 SL – 550 – 718: Maiden victories, debut of the Fuhrmann motor, Maglioli’s nocturnal rescue operation and the first podium in the overall classification

At the third running of the Le Mans 24 Hours after the war in 1951, Porsche is the first and

only German manufacturer to compete. In the autumn of 1950, Charles Faroux, one of the

‘inventors’ and the current race director of the Grand Prix d’Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans, teams up with the French Porsche importer Auguste Veuillet to convince Professor Ferdinand Porsche of the idea to field his sports cars in 1951 on the high speed circuit in

the Department Sarthe. The small race squad of Porsche KG lease a workshop not far from

the circuit in the town of Teloché, where for decades Porsche prepared the race cars and in the village’s Café du Sport celebrated their victories – and digested the odd defeat.

For the race on the circuit 220 kilometres west of Paris, Porsche fields the 356 SL (Sport Light) “Gmünd-Coupé” with its streamlined aluminium body and covered wheels, lovingly nicknamed the “aluminium can” by the mechanics. With its 1,086 cc four-cylinder boxer engine delivering 46 hp (34 kW), the coupé achieves an impressive 160 km/h top speed.

Already at this point, the basic idea of Porsche’s technical philosophy is apparent: systema-

tic lightweight design and a sophisticated aerodynamics are at least as important as a healthy

engine performance.

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The premiere is a resounding success: Veuillet and his friend Edmond Mouche win the class 751 to 1100 cc and receive the flag as 20^thoverall. Their Porsche covers a distance of 2,840.65 kilometres without a single technical problem, averaging 118.36 km/h. Class

victory secures a grid spot for the following year. And the success is not just a lucky break:

seven subsequent class wins will follow.

Porsche returns in 1952 with three 356 SL Coupé. The newly-appointed Head of Press and

Motorsport, Huschke von Hanstein, shares the cockpit of one of the rear-engined sports

car with Petermax Müller, but has to throw in the towel after six hours with gearbox failure.

Up until this point, the starting number 51 silver coupé had been running 25^thin the over-

all classification. Equally bad luck also hampers the first customer team. Frenchman Auguste

Lachaize enters his own 356 SL and is doing well in the race with teammate Eugène Martin –

until their disqualification on Sunday morning because they refuelled with the engine running.

Veuillet and Mouche save the day: They win their class in the 356 SL with the starting num-

ber 50 and set a new distance record: the pair complete 2,955.410 kilometres with an average speed of 123.14 km/h.

The Porsche squad returns in 1953 with the 550 1500 S Spyder prototype featuring a coupé

hardtop. This first factory-run, thoroughbred race car is – at 3.60 metres long, 1.55 metres

wide and just on one metre in height – even more compact than the 356 SL and weighs in

at just 540 kilograms – that is almost one hundred kilos less than the aluminium coupés. The location of the engine in front of the rear axle is ground-breaking: the small Porsche is the only rear-mid-engined racer in the field. With the actual power plant, this year the team lives with a compromise. The 1,488 cc four-cylinder, VW-based, pushrod engine delivers around 78 hp (57 kW). But in Germany, the trendsetting four-cam Carrera engine by Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann (type 547) is already on the test bench.

Porsche puts the Spyder with the starting number 44 in the capable hands of Helm Glöckler

and the 25-year-old youngster Hans Herrmann. At the wheel of the number 45 vehicle sits

the journalist, motorbike racer and founder of the “Christophorus”, Richard von Frankenberg,

as well as the Belgian journalist and race driver Paul Frère. The two lightweight Porsche leave the opposition in the dust, overtake more powerful race cars in other classes, nail a

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new distance record of 3,332 kilometres and, thanks to their massive advantage, even

manage to stage the perfect photo finish between the two. Frère/von Frankenberg narrowly

win their class to 1500 cc with an average of 138.8 km/h ahead of their teammates Herrmann and Glöckler.

The year 1954 heralds the gripping and ultimately successful debut of the four-cam “Fuhrmann”

engine in Le Mans. Belgium’s Johnny Claes and Pierre Stasse win the class to 1,500 cc with

the 110 hp (81 kW) four-cylinder unit, after Richard von Frankenberg/ Helm Glöckler and

Hans Herrmann/Helmut Polensky are forced to retire with overheated piston tops. A Porsche

also wins the class to 1.1 litres: It is the 550 Spyder driven by Frenchman Gustave Olivier and his American teammate Zora Arkus-Duntov. The latter, incidently, will go home, turn General Motors around, and make the Corvette into an American legend. All 550 Spyder entries are under Porsche KG.

For the first time, Porsche drivers occupy all three steps of the (class) podium in 1955, after Richard von Frankenberg/Helmut Polensky in the works-550 Spyder, Wolfgang Seidel/Olivier

Gendebien and Helm Glöckler/Jaroslav Juhan in this order score the first three places in the class to 1,500 cc. In the class up to 1.1 litres, the Porsche 550 Spyder also prove unbeatable: Double victory for Zora Arkus-Duntov/Auguste Veuillet ahead of Gustave Olivier

and Josef Jeser. The success, however, is overshadowed by the horrific accident of a Mercedes

Benz 300 SLR in which many spectators lose their lives. The year 1956 marks the Le Mans debut of the 550 A, which had sensationally clinched overall victory at the Targa Florio on 10 June with solo driver Maglioli at the wheel. With

the 550 A, Porsche has taken a major technological leap forward. The tubular space frame

replaces the flat frame of the predecessor and makes the vehicle considerably stiffer. The weight is reduced by 40 kgs to around 550 kilograms. The 1.5-litre Fuhrmann engine de-

livers 135 hp (99 KW), with the suspension having undergone a complete update. With their commanding victory in the class up to 1.5 litres and fifth overall, Wolfgang Graf Berghe von

Trips and Richard von Frankenberg underline that the compact 550 A is not just a winner

on the winding mountain roads of Sicily, but also on a high speed circuit. Umberto Maglioli

and Hans Herrmann park their 550 A after 136 laps with engine failure.

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In the year 1957 a customer team joins the winners’ list for the first time. Ed Hugus and Carel Godin Graf de Beaufort clinch a class win with their 550 A, and come eighth overall. Race driver Claude Storez demonstrates incredible stamina and determination when his factory-550 A rolls to a standstill with an empty fuel tank. For an hour, Storez pushes the

car back to the pits and ultimately sees the flag in seventh, only to be disqualified. The first

outing of the new 718 1500 RSK with Umberto Maglioli and Edgar Barth at the wheel ends

dramatically. In the night, Tony Brooks crashes with his Aston Martin and is flung from the car. Maglioli sees the Briton lying on the track, swerves and crashes into the barriers. The

Italian then runs over the track and carries the unconscious Brooks to the edge of the track

to safety.

A triumphant year for Porsche: in 1958 the little team achieves the first podium result against

strong opposition from major manufacturers in the overall classification. The 718 RSK ex-

ceeds all expectations at just its second outing in Le Mans. Jean Behra and Hans Herrmann

share driving duties at the wheel of the number 29 Porsche. This 718 RSK is powered by a 1,587 cc rebored Fuhrmann engine with around 150 hp (110 kW). Accordingly, the vehicle contests the class up to two litres. Edgar Barth/Paul Frère as well as Richard von Frankenberg/Claude Storez compete with 1.5-litre power units. Two privately-run 550 A

complete the fleet of Stuttgart racers, consisting exclusively of open Spyder. The race is held

under catastrophic weather conditions. During the night, Frère even puts in an extra pit stop because he is completely soaked and hypothermic. The Porsche are incredibly quick and even put the three-litre vehicles from Ferrari, Jaguar and Aston Martin under pressure.

After 24 hours, the glory is theirs: Behra/Herrmann bring their Porsche home in third place

overall followed by Barth/Frère in fourth! This also yields them class victory for 2.0 and 1.5-litre race cars. Netting the team prize rounds of a perfect weekend.

After clinching third overall in Sebring and outright victory at the Targa Florio with the

718 RSK, the Porsche works squad travels to Le Mans in 1959 feeling confident. But after

eight straight class wins they experience the taste of defeat. The new “sprint” camshafts lack the necessary durability. All five race cars retire. The one privateer RS 550 A throws in the towel when the clutch fails on Sunday morning.

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1960 to 1968

The magic number 9 appears

718 – 904 – 908: Successes with the 718, class wins through muscle power, enter the 911 – and breaking the 200 km/h barrier

In the lead-up to Le Mans 1960, the new 718 RS 60 Spyder has already proven its worth as a winner, notching up outright wins in Sebring and at the Targa Florio. Compared to its

predecessor, the RS 60 has once again received a suspension make-over, features modified

aerodynamics, a rear axle with coil springs and the now mandatory luggage compartment behind the engine. Otherwise, the tubular frame made of seamless steel tubing and the proven four-cylinder racing engine remain unchanged. Only one of the three works-entered RS 60 racers sees the flag, albeit with Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel scoring eleventh overall and second in their class. Ahead of the Spyder in tenth place overall, a Porsche

decked out in rare bodywork darts over the finish line: it is a 356 B 1600 GS Carrera GTL

Abarth. The body of this lightweight version of the 356 B is built in an arrangement with Carlo Abarth at Zagato. The 1600 GS weighs 100 kilos less than the 356 B. Sharing the cockpit are Herbert Linge and Heini Walter, who also win the sports class – as the Abarth is not yet homologated to contest the GT category.

The 718 RS 61 lines up on the grid in 1961 with the biggest and most powerful engine in

the fledgling history of Porsche at Le Mans. Masten Gregory and Bob Holbert win their class

with 1,966 cc and around 185 hp (136 kW) ahead of Edgar Barth and Hans Herrmann in the 718 RS 61 “Le Mans Coupé”, featuring a roof and a 1.6-litre engine. This unit delivers

160 hp (118 kW), which correlates to an impressive per litre power output of 100 hp (74 kW).

Also tackling the race is Dan Gurney who Porsche has contracted for Formula 1. The Ame-

rican helms an RS 61 with his Formula 1 colleague Jo Bonnier, but drops out with engine failure on Sunday afternoon. The RS 61 is the further modified version of the RS 60 with an extra 100 millimetres added to the wheelbase to now measure 2,200 mm and a new rear axle with double wishbones. Herbert Linge and Ben Pon secure a class win amongst the GT race cars in the 356 B 1600 GS Carrera GTL Abarth.

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Claiming third place at the Targa Florio, the RS 62 or 718/8 featuring the newly-developed

eight-cylinder engine from the 771 type, underlines its potential in 1962, but is not sanctioned by the organisers Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) to start at Le Mans. Fielding three 356 B 1600 GS Carrera GTL Abarth, Porsche still has an iron in the fire of the GT

class. Edgar Barth and Hans Herrmann promptly win their category and rank seventh overall.

Robert Buchet and Heinz Schiller finish in twelfth place, the third Porsche driven by Ben Pon

and Graf de Beaufort retires after 35 laps. The 718 W RS Spyder shines in 1963, scoring eighth in the overall classification and victory in the two-litre class. Sharing the cockpit of the 670 kilogram Spyder, which reaches a top speed of 280 km/h with its 210 hp (154 kW) eight-cylinder power unit, are Edgar

Barth and Herbert Linge. This success, however, did not come about without a little persuasion.

After sustaining a puncture, Edgar Barth climbs out of the car 200 metres away from the pit lane and uses muscle power to push the car back to the pit lane entrance. Only there

are the mechanics permitted to administer first aid. Specially for the new GT World Champion-

ship, Porsche has designed the 356 B Carrera GS/GT which will go down in history as the

‘Dreikantschaber’. Heinz Schiller and Ben Pon as well as Gerhard Koch and Carel Godin de

Beaufort are sidelined with their 180 hp race cars on Saturday evening after engine failures.

1964 marks the first time Porsche race cars line up on the grid sporting the famed number 9

in its model name. The 904 Carrera GTS launches its career on the Circuit des 24 Heures

with a quadruple victory in the two-litre class. Entered by Auguste Veuillet, who had claimed

the first class win for Porsche back in 1951, Robert Buchet and Guy Ligier bring home victory ahead of Ben Pon and Henk van Zalinge driving for Racing Team Holland. Herbert

Müller, later one of Porsche’s most renowned race drivers, tackles Le Mans for the first time

in a Porsche and with Claude Sage snatches fourth place in class. The 904 Carrera GTS is

the first Porsche to feature a particularly light plastic body that is bonded with a ladder-type

frame made of steel – a ground-breaking technological solution. The chassis is twice as rigid

as the frame of the 718. Following good Porsche tradition, the lightweight 904 Carrera GTS

weighs around 650 kilos. Two different engines contest the long distance classic: the four best-placed Porsche feature a two-litre, four-cylinder unit transplanted from the Carrera 2

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that delivers up to 180 hp (132 kW). Edgar Barth/Herbert Linge and Gerhard Mitter/Colin

Davis helm the 904/8 cars equipped with 2.0-litre, eight-cylinder engines that are based on the Formula 1 power plant and provide an impressive 260 hp (191 kW). Clutch failure throws both eight-cylinder versions contesting the class for prototypes out of contention.

In 1965 Herbert Linge and Peter Nöcker bring a 904/6 home fourth overall and first amongst

the two-litre prototypes. Indeed, this is a salute to the 911, as the mid-engine of the number

32 race car is a 901 type, here delivering around 200 hp (147 kW). Following in fifth place

overall and winners of the GT class up to two litres are Gerhard Koch and Anton Fischhaber

driving a 904 Carrera GTS. In addition, the GTS wins the energy classification as the most efficient race car.

The 906 – also Carrera 6 – in 1966 is the first fruit of the newly-created “race car design”

department. The customer vehicles are powered by a modified 911 engine producing around

220 hp (162 kW). For the factory, the 906 features a type 771 eight-cylinder engine with around 260 hp (191 kW). Initially, the chassis and brakes largely correspond to the 904.

Like its predecessor, the weight is somewhere around 650 kilos. Two fuel tanks located left

and right of the cockpit replace the tank in the front of the 904 which results in conside-

rably better weight distribution. A long-tail version should help to achieve higher top speeds,

but in fact creates dangerous lift. According to the news reports of that time, Herbert Linge

spoke in the pits of experiencing wheel spin on the long straights due to the tail becoming so light. Two small spoilers at the rear solve the problem. Jo Siffert and Colin Davis bring

the newcomer over the finish line in fourth and win the category for vehicles up to two litres

as well as the consumption classification. Rolf Stommelen and Günther Klass conquer the sports car class with the 906 short tail. The first outing of a 911 concludes with a victory in the two-litre GT classification and 14^thoverall for Jean Kerguen and “Franc” under the entry of Jacques Dewez.