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The 3-Litre Bentley is the oldest surviving winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Driven by John Duff and Frank Clement, it triumphed in the 1924 edition against 40 competitors. To mark the centenary of its victory, the ACO has undertaking a full restoration. In the autumn of 2023, the car was completely stripped down and an in-depth examination confirmed the chassis’s authenticity. On June 6, 2024, the Bentley left the Brooklands circuit and travelled to Le Mans by road as it did in 1924.

The 166MM was the first Ferrari to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It had nothing in common with the other cars produced at the time. Created by Carrozzeria Touring using a revolutionary chassis design technique called Superleggera, the 166MM featured an aluminium body mounted on a multi-tubular steel chassis. Despite Enzo Ferrari’s initial reluctance, racing driver Luigi Chinetti entered two 166MMs for the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans. Number 22, driven by Chinetti and Lord Selsdon, won the race.

After the expiration of the 2-litre regulations at the end of 1953, Maserati launched the 6C 2500 project renamed the 250F in reference to the new regulations: 2500 for the engine’s cubic capacity of 2500 cc and F for Formula 1. The brand’s 6-cylinder version soon became famous and in 1957 a variant powered by a V12 engine went on sale. Only three examples were produced and only one car equipped with the 12-cylinder engine participated in an F1 Grand Prix, the 1957 Italian event with Jean Behra at the wheel. The 250F helped Maserati to win the World Championship in 1957 with Juan Manuel Fangio who clinched his fifth and final world title at the wheel of a 250F.

The Ferrari 712 was developed by the Italian brand to compete in the 1971 Can-Am Championship. While the International Sporting Commission limited prototype engine’s cubic capacity to 3 litres in other championships, Can-Am accepted cars without any cubic capacity limit. Ferrari then designed its largest engine ever built a 7-litre, 12-cylinder power unit. The 712 was a one-off, based on a modified 512 M. It won on its very first outing in the Interserie race at Imola on May 2 1971 with Arturo Merzario at the wheel.

The McLaren M8 series was an evolution of the M6 series; prototypes designed according to FIA Group 7 regulations. The M8F was developed for the 1971 Can-Am championship. In just four years, the car’s progress was astounding as, despite weighing 100 kg more than the M8A, the M8F was 4 seconds quicker per lap on the Riverside circuit.The M8F enabled the M8F and its drivers, Peter Revson and Denny Hulme, to secure first and second place in the championship giving McLaren its fifth consecutive constructors’ title in five years!

To homologate a car for Group IV, manufacturers had to produce a minimum of 500 road-going versions of the model in question. Normally rally cars were developed from existing production models. But for the first time in rallying history, Lancia decided to do things in reverse order: they first developed the competition version of the Stratos and used it to create the “stradale” version for the production model. This unique approach allowed the brand to offer a bespoke car. The gamble paid off and in 1974, 1975, and 1976, the Stratos won the World Rally Championship racking up 17 victories!

Mazda was the first Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 787B prototype was unique in that it was equipped with a 700 horsepower rotary engine. In the race, it proved to be fast, reliable, and fuel-efficient. The Mazda was up against rivals facing rapidly evolving regulations. It took advantage of the transition between the Group C and the 3.5-litre Sport categories. And by extending stints and conserving fuel the 787B won the 24 Hours from two XJR-12 Jaguars.

The early 1990s was a period of intense rivalry in the CART-organised IndyCar championship. The new Ford-Cosworth engine was highly competitive and the series attracted talented young drivers. The Penske team, using Chevrolet engines and a custom-built chassis, quickly found itself under threat. The PC-22 was built in response to the competition. Improvements in aerodynamics and engine power resulted in a performance boost. The PC-22 won eight out of 16 races in 1993 and secured a resounding victory in the Indianapolis 500.

After winning the first two rounds of the 1998 FIA GT Championship, Mercedes decided to enter its CLK GTR for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A naturally aspirated V8 engine adapted to the demands of endurance racing, was installed in the car, and its aerodynamic profile was optimised for the Sarthe circuit: the result was the CLK LM. Mercedes entered two cars for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite promising qualifying performances in first and third places, both GTs were forced to retire from the race due to engine failures. Nevertheless, the manufacturer retained the V8 engine for the remainder of the season and won the FIA GT Championship with the CLK LM.

The F2002 was completely redesigned compared to the F2001. It featured a chassis with a new structure and a slimmed-down rear end with improved aerodynamics. The F2002 is considered one of the most successful Formula 1 cars in history. It scored 14 wins in 17 races in 2002 including 9 one-two finishes and 10 pole positions giving Ferrari the Constructors’ Championship with a total of 221 points thanks to Schumacher and Barrichello, exactly the combined total of the other ten teams! By the 11th Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher had secured his fifth title, equaling Fangio’s record.

The arrival of the 919 Hybrid marked Porsche’s return to the World Endurance Championship after a sixteen-year hiatus. This prototype, with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and two energy recovery systems, was particularly innovative. Its performance was such that the Evo version broke the absolute lap record at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit with a time of 1m 41.770s, faster than Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes-AMG F1 W08. The 919 Hybrid enabled Porsche to win three World Endurance Championship titles, 2015, 2016, and 2017.