Winning the Le Mans 24 Hours is no easy task. It takes a lot of resources, time and effort, not only for the cars but also for the drivers, to prepare for the grueling 24-hour race. Participants must navigate slower traffic, adapt to changing weather conditions, and survive the night to see the checkered flag.
We have seen the evolution of the cars that took off in the prestigious endurance race from the early sports cars in the 1920s to purpose-built prototypes today. There were notable cars that stood out and had a huge impact on the sport that opposing teams had to catch up with in order to keep up with the competition. We wouldn’t have this diversity if it weren’t for those who first paved the way with clever design and innovation, as no other manufacturer has done before.
Here are the pioneering Le Mans racing cars that have made a valuable contribution to the 100-year history of the race.
10 McLaren F1 GTR
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Gordon Murray originally designed the McLaren F1 primarily as a street car with no intention of including it in racing. However, when a sports car class was created to match the characteristics of the F1, the F1 GTR was born, which featured longer overhangs and was nicknamed the “Long Tail”.
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In a wet 24-hour race at Le Mans in 1995, the car overall won against much faster custom-made prototypes. To date, no other series-based sports car since the F1 GTR has achieved overall victory at Le Mans.
9 Ford GT40
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The Ford GT40 was a game changer not only because it ended Ferrari’s dominance at the Le Mans 24 Hours, but also proof that Ford can build racing cars. The car was born out of Henry Ford II’s personal revenge on a deal with Enzo Ferrari that went mad.
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Ford would win the next four races at Le Mans, and in the end Ferrari never won the prestigious endurance race again.
8th Porsche 956
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When the FIA introduced a new formula for sports car prototypes in the sports car world championship in 1981, the new regulations made Porsche the 956. With the rules mainly focused on fuel efficiency, a lot of innovation has been built into this prototype.
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The 956 ran its 620hp, 2.6-liter turbo engine in Class C. Additionally, the car made a difference by using “ground effects”, increasing the aerodynamics generated by the car’s underbody, and ultimately down the Mulsanne Straight of the Circuit de la Sarthe recorded cornering speeds and a top speed of 350 km / h.
7th Ferrari 250LM
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The 250LM was one of Ferrari’s first mid-engined sports cars and is believed to be the last Maranello car to take overall victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Road and Track calls it “the epitome of Ferrari”.
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Its 320 horsepower V12 engine in the center of the rear was good enough for 180 mph thanks to its sleek and aerodynamically efficient design.
6th Bentley Speed Six
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Bentley’s most successful racing car of all time is the Speed Six. Introduced in 1928, the car won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1929 and 1930 and took the top four thanks to a massive 6.5-liter inline-6 that powers the car’s rear wheels.
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It made headlines thanks to its top speed of 125 mph. Nowadays that number can be matched by a normal production car, but in the 20’s it was quite an engineering marvel.
5 Mazda 787B
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Mazda’s 787B not only made history as the first Japanese prototype to win the Le Mans 24 Hours, it is also the only prototype to ever win with a rotary engine. Its four-rotor 26B engine not only sounded terribly good, it changed the mindset of the rotary engine’s reliability when it won the endurance race in 1991.
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The 787B may not have quite the pace that its competitors Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Jaguar did, but it certainly delivered what is most important in an endurance race, which is reliability. In the 24 hours the 787B drove, only a blown headlight bulb was the problem. Mazda remained the only Japanese manufacturer to take an overall win at Le Mans until Toyota was finally able to win in 2018.
4th Audi R10 TDI
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Audi was at the top of their game from 2001 when its gasoline-powered R8 prototype celebrated overall victory at Le Mans five years in a row. They were so successful that they even challenged themselves with their most expensive project to win at Le Mans with diesel power.
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15 million dollars later, the R10 TDI was born. With a 5.5-liter diesel engine with two turbochargers, Audi took advantage of the fuel efficiency diesel engines are known for and flashed the entire grid at the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is the first diesel-powered racing car to win Le Mans and would win the next three races at Le Mans until it was replaced by the R15 TDI.
3 Ferrari 166MM
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With Ferrari sports cars making their mark in just about every four-wheel motorsport discipline they have ever stepped into, it’s worth noting that the 166MM, one of Enzo Ferrari’s first racing cars, is the car that made Ferrari significant is responsible in the sports car world.
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The MM in the 166 stands for Mille Miglia, one of the most famous road races in the world, in which Ferrari won with its predecessor, the 166 Berlinetta. In addition, the 166MM brought Ferrari its first victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours courtesy of Luigi Chinetti in 1949 and brought a groundbreaking brand to the international scene.
2 Porsche 917
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Since these are the first victories, the Porsche 917 was another trailblazer in the world of sports cars. It brought Porsche its first victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours thanks to its silhouette style and the fastest ever, top speed on the Circuit de la Sarthe at 362 km / h.
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The Flat-12 917 prototype won Le Mans in 1970 and 1971 and was featured in the Steve McQueen film of the same name in 1971.
1 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro
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Last but not least is the car that ushered in the new era of Le Mans prototypes with hybrid technology, the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro.
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The e-tron Quattro had a 514 hp V6 turbodiesel that drives the rear wheels and two motor-generators at the front that produce 469 hp and form an all-wheel drive system. It won the Le Mans 24 Hours in its first outing and took overall victory in the 2012 edition of the prestigious endurance race.
About the author
Jan Lacuna
(23 articles published)
Jan Lacuna is an engineer, car enthusiast, sim racer and racing driver from the Philippines and now works as a writer for HotCars.com. He writes about racing, new sports cars and the latest developments in the automotive industry.
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