The history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been shaped by many car manufacturers. But if you look closer at the history of the endurance event, which has been held since 1923, you quickly realize that Porsche, with a total of 19 overall victories at the Circuit de la Sarthe, has been by far the most successful. The brand claimed its very first overall win back in 1970 with the iconic 917.
However, the success story of the sports car manufacturer in northwestern France began much earlier. In 1951, an aerodynamically optimized Porsche 356 SL Coupé, driven by the French duo Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche, secured a victory in Class G for cars with an engine displacement of under 1.1 liters. At the same time, they achieved an impressive 20th place overall.This was a remarkable debut for the young and small manufacturer, whose motorsport activities had previously been limited mainly to city races and rallies. With the efficient, lightweight, and reliable SL version of the 356, the Stuttgart company ventured onto the grand stage of Le Mans for the first time. Over the next seven and a half decades, another 112 class victories would follow.
"We are not only the record holders for overall and class victories, but we are also the only manufacturer to have had at least one car on the starting grid at Le Mans uninterrupted since 1951," emphasizes Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Porsche Motorsport.
To mark the 75th anniversary of Porsche Motorsport, the company is now commemorating the beginning of this success story right at the historic circuit. This appearance does not feature an official factory team, as the manufacturer withdrew from the Hypercar class and the WEC series after last year's race. Instead, the brand is represented by two Porsche 911 GT3 R entries from the Manthey customer team competing in the LMGT3 category. Their silver livery pays homage to the classic German Silver Arrow appearance of the ancestral car that laid the foundation for Porsche's legendary Le Mans career seven and a half decades ago. Factory drivers Ayhancan Güven and Richard Lietz, among others, will do their absolute best behind the wheel.
