Le Mans Yesterday and Today: Porsche

Porsche's history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans began in 1951 with the small 356 SL winning the class up to 1100cc. Since that day, the Stuttgart brand has been forever linked to the most challenging race of the year, pushing men and machines to their limits. From famous models of the past to the present Hypercar category aiming for overall victory, Porsche's legacy at Le Mans is unmatched.

The Porsche 356 SL wins the class up to 1100cc on debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951.

Porsche boasts the most victories at Circuit de la Sarthe, with 19 overall wins and 111 class wins, the latest achieved just a few months ago in the 2024 edition with the 911 GT3 R LMGT3. These record numbers place Porsche at the top of closed-wheel motorsport. Porsche had to wait until 1970 for its first overall victory with the legendary 917 K, which repeated the feat in 1971 with the unforgettable Martini Racing livery.

The Porsche 917K, winner in 1970 at Le Mans.

Regulation changed and new competitors in the mid-1970s led Porsche to develop a new model to return to winning ways, the 936. This open-top car, in various evolutions, won three editions, 1976, 1977, and 1981, each time with a team featuring Le Mans legend Jacky Ickx.

The Porsche 936 proved a winning car, dominating the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976, 1977, and 1981.

Performance, efficiency, and reliability are core to Porsche's philosophy, leading to the introduction of the spectacular 956 for the factory team in the early 1980s. The car was also available to customer teams. From 1982 to 1987, the 956 and its evolved 962C version achieved consecutive victories with the factory team sponsored by Rothmans and with Team Joest. Next week, we'll see how this experience helped Joest support Audi in the 2000s.

Perhaps the most iconic model associated with Porsche at Le Mans is the 956, followed by its evolution, the 962C, which dominated from 1982 to 1987.

A new success came in 1998 with the Porsche 911 GT1, victorious at Le Mans. Another wait followed until 2015 when Porsche introduced the 919 Hybrid, a true game-changer in endurance racing with its hybrid propulsion system.

The late '90s GT1 class saw the 911 triumph, winning at Le Mans in 1998.

The 919 Hybrid featured two energy recovery systems (braking and exhaust gas), an electric motor on the front axle to make it all-wheel drive during acceleration, and a small 2.0-liter V4 turbo engine, producing a total of around 900hp. The 919 Hybrid won three consecutive editions from 2015 to 2017, bringing Porsche's total to 19 overall victories.

Hat-trick for the 919 Hybrid, which brought Porsche to 19 overall victories with three consecutive wins from 2015 to 2017.

The new regulations introduced in 2023, which unified the top categories for the WEC and IMSA championships, brought Porsche back to the scene with the specially designed 963. After a few years of absence in the top class, Porsche returned with the 963 in the LMDh class. Like many other manufacturers, Porsche entrusted its cars to external teams, with the renowned Team Penske leading the way. Despite securing pole position at this year's 24 Hours, victory eluded them. However, Porsche is unlikely to settle for just 19 overall wins, and we will undoubtedly see more efforts for their 20th victory.

The new 963, introduced last year to compete in the WEC and IMSA, aims to secure Porsche's 20th Le Mans victory.