During the fifth edition of
Le Mans Classic on 9, 10 and 11 July,
Porsche has celebrated the 40th anniversary of their first victory in the general classification of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On this occasion, Porsche gathered drivers and legendary cars to revive the ardour of this first victory.
Porsche entered the legend on June 14th, 1970 at 3 pm. The day before, 24 machines of the German brand took the start of the famous endurance race.
Among them, the
Porsche 917 KH, number 23, driven by Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood. After a race marked by difficult weather conditions, the team was the first to cross the finishing line. A first victory which will be followed by 15 others.
Partner of Grid 6 since 2002, Porsche has chosen to celebrate this anniversary during
Le Mans Classic. For the occasion, the winners of the time has been present to take the
Porsche 917 KH around the track which crowned it during the manufacturer parade on Saturday before the first race.
Lent from the Porsche museum in Stuttgart, the
917 KH wasn't alone. Indeed, a few victorious 24 Hours Porsches came to the party, as the famous Porsche 936 Martini, which won the 1971 edition and the
Porsche GT1, last champion of the brand in 1998.
Porsche amateurs were able to admire the cars which participated in the history of the brand both on the track and in the clubs. 62 of them took the start of the race. The oldest was the 1952 Porsche 356 driven by Andrew Prill / Richard Clark in Grid 2 and the youngest was Paul Singer’s 1979
Porsche 935 in Grid 6. Off the track, the Porsche clubs have replied massively to be present at this celebration. No less than 950 cars of the
brand were reunited at the Bugatti layout.
2010 is also the 40th anniversary of the film « Le Mans » starring famous actor-driver Steve McQueen. Saturday morning a tribute was made with a parade dedicated to the film with the presence of the
Porsche 908/2 Spyder, the car with which the actor excelled with a 2nd place at Sebring in 1970.
NOTE: In our online shop we are selling a unique
Porsche 917K Le Mans 1/18 by Auto Art Models. Steve McQueen Le Mans #20 limited edition. Signed by Brian Redman.
Saturday afternoon, the public was able to meet historical drivers who contributed to the brand’s prize list during an autograph session in the Porsche lounge. Among them: Gérard Larousse, René Metge, Hans Hermann,
Vic Elford and Laurent Aiello.
