The Le Mans 24-hour race was created with the aim of testing the quality of production cars and their equipment in race conditions. Over its 93-year long history, the well-known endurance test has more than fulfilled that promise, while writing some of the most glorious pages in motoring history.

1998: Porsche’s 16th win
Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, Nissan... there were five serious contenders for victory in 1998. The race had barely begun when the Mercedes and BMWs were forced out with mechanical issues. In fact, the first Mercedes pulled out after just 1 hour and 13 minutes due to engine failure! The Toyotas and Porsches played cat and mouse out at the front for most of the race, although Bousten’s Toyota tended to dominate after the 20th hour. Nonetheless, it was forced to retire with less than an hour and a half to go, leaving the way clear for Porsche’s record-breaking 16th victory.

1999: The Mercedes take flight
Early on Thursday evening, Mark Webber was notching up laps at the wheel of the #4 Mercedes CLR during qualifying. At the end of the Mulsanne Straight, one of the fastest sections of the circuit, his Mercedes took off, flying into the air at more than 300 km/h, coming to land by the crash barrier. The car was inspected and repaired, then authorised to line up at the start of the race. However, during the first warm-up lap, as it was approaching Mulsanne, the #4 CLR took off again, spun in the air and landed on its roof. Webber went off to the hospital for a second time but fortunately escaped with minor injuries. They always say that these things come in threes and, five hours into the race, it was the #5 CLR’s turn to take flight. It made a series of impressive loops then crashed into the trees several dozen metres from the track. Miraculously, the driver came out unscathed, but Mercedes shut the doors on its garage and made a quiet exit from the race, its ambitions struck down by faulty aerodynamics.

2009: Peugeot’s comeback
Audi had been collecting the trophies since 2000, with eight consecutive wins. The manufacturer was back to defend its title in 2009, but this time, the Peugeot 908s were looking to shake things up. Right from qualifying, it was clear that they had strong potential. The Lion brand had returned to the race in 2007 and now seemed to have gained the necessary experience. The cars performed well, making the most of Audi’s recurrent issues to demonstrate their own rock-solid reliability.
The 908s ran a perfect race, placing two cars on the top two steps of the podium. The winning 905s from 1992 and 1993 had finally found a successor. Unfortunately, budget cuts brought Peugeot’s history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to an early end not long afterwards.

2012: First win for a hybrid
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is all about innovation and the regulations mean manufacturers are permitted to use hybrid technology to reduce fuel consumption. However, Peugeot’s money issues meant they were unable to field a car that year, leaving Audi and Toyota to battle it out for victory. The German constructor combined a V6 diesel engine powering the rear wheels with an electric engine driving the front wheels. Its Japanese rival opted for a V8 petrol engine with two electric engines as back-up. At the end of a race where performance and reliability were the watchwords, three R18s swept the podium with two hybrids taking the first two places.