Held on the weekend of 3-4 June 2017, the test day for this year’s Le Mans was run under clear skies. It was an excellent opportunity for the teams to put their cars, drivers, personnel and systems through their paces ahead of the big day on 17-18 June. Below is a summary of how the 2017 Le Mans test day went for the Porsche teams. Porsche 919 Hybrid – LMP1 Track action took … [Read more...]
Porsche 356 SL at Le Mans
The date was 23 June 1951, and sixty race cars lined up at 16h00 for the start of the nineteenth running of the Le Mans 24 Hour race. This would be the first race for the Porsche 356 SL at Le Mans, in fact it was the Stuttgart company’s first foray into big time international motorsport, so a lot was riding on the 356’s performance. It was customary for the cars to line … [Read more...]
Porsche at Le Mans Part II: 1964 to 1969
The introduction of the Type 904 heralded a new direction for Porsche’s race cars. Gone were the aluminium-bodied racers, as the 904 spearheaded a generation of GRP-bodied Porsches that culminated in the World Manufacturers’ Championship title, and that all-important Le Mans 24 Hour crown. This is Part II of the Porsche at Le Mans story… Porsche at Le Mans 1964 – June … [Read more...]
Steve McQueen in Le Mans
It was a burning ambition of Steve McQueen’s to create the most realistic and exciting movie about professional motor racing. He succeeded in doing this, and he almost lost everything in the process, but he was handed a lifeline at the last minute, and as a result we have the movie Le Mans today. Now we also have the graphic illustrated novel, Steve McQueen in Le … [Read more...]
Porsche sets its sights on a hat-trick
Amid much Paris-style razzmatazz, the ACO today announced the entrants for this year’s 24 Hour race. It goes without saying that last year’s winners, Porsche, will be carrying the numbers 1 and 2 once again this year as Porsche sets its sights on a hat-trick in 2017. Porsche will be looking to defend not only its Le Mans crown in 2017, but also its FIA World Endurance … [Read more...]
Porsche 996 GT3 R
This Porsche 996 GT3 R is being offered for sale by Coys of London. When it was launched in 1998, the Porsche Type 996 represented one of the most significant changes to the 911 model range in its (then) 35-year history. While all previous road-going 911 models had been powered by Porsche’s air-cooled six-cylinder engine, the 996 ushered in the model’s first water-cooled power … [Read more...]
Jürgen Barth – A Profile
More books have been written about Porsche than any other car company so the publication in English of another tome is hardly headline news until you realise that the author, exceptionally, is a Porsche insider, but not just any insider. Jürgen Barth was at the epicentre of Porsche’s racing activity from the time he joined the Zuffenhausen payroll in 1966 until he retired four … [Read more...]
Porsche Victory 2016
It is by now well known that Porsche won the prestigious Le Mans 24-Hour race in 2016, the company’s 18th such victory in this classic French endurance race. To put this achievement in perspective, Audi have won the title thirteen times and Ferrari nine times. Just as they did in 2015, Gruppe C Motorsport Publishers has compiled the story of Porsche’s latest win at Le Mans … [Read more...]
Video: One Love – Marc Lieb on Racing for Porsche & Le Mans
Porsche at Le Mans Part I: 1951 to 1963
The name Porsche is synonymous with the world’s toughest endurance race, the 24-Hours of Le Mans, boasting an unbroken run of 65 years. During this time, they have amassed 18 victories. This is Part I of their story… Le Mans – 1951 to 1963 Whether the year 1948 was a year of particular significance in terms of French vintage wines, thereby inspiring automotive designers … [Read more...]
