CHENARD & WALCKER, A CENTENARY WITHIN A CENTENARY

In recognition of the first to triumph, let's begin our look at these 24 cars with the Chenard & Walcker winner of the first running of the race in 1923 thanks to André Lagache and René Léonard (photo above). In addition to the winning car, two other Chenard & Walckers took the track on 26-27 May 1923 and made it to the chequered flag: Raoul Bachmann and Christian Dauvergne secured a one-two by finishing second, and Fernand Bachmann (Raoul's younger brother) and Raymond Glaszmann made it into the top 10 in seventh place.

FOUR CARS FOR A CENTURY OF INNOVATION

From top to bottom in order of appearance in the photo: the Tracta Gephi, first front-wheel-drive car seen at the 24 Hours; the turbine Howmet; the Lola T600, first ground effect prototype; and the first version of the hydrogen Mission H24 prototype, a highly anticipated technology in competition ahead of the Centenary running of the 24 Hours.

FERRARI IN 1970, REMEMBERING THE DUEL 

Half a century after its last official entry in the head class at Le Mans, Ferrari's return is probably the most thrilling of the upcoming Centenary race. In 1970, 11 Ferrari 512 Ss faced off against seven Porsche 917s. The car on display at Rétromobile is one of the four factory 512s fielded that year, boasting the racing number 6 and entrusted to Sicilian driver and 1964 winner Nino Vaccarella and Italian driver Ignazio Giunti. It was the second car to retire during the race with engine troubles after only 27 minutes on the track. 

THE 2013 MORGAN LMP2: AN ART CAR AND ITS DOPPELGANGER 

After first emerging in the mid-1970s, Art Cars decorated by contemporary artists have also made their mark at the 24 Hours. In 2013, an Art Car hailed the 90th anniversary running of the 24 Hours. OAK Racing's owner at the time, Jacques Nicolet, commissioned Fernando Costa to carry the concept of an Art Car over to a prototype. The car, based on a Morgan LMP2 chassis, was decorated with road signs. Driven by Jean-Marc Merlin, Philippe Mondolot and Jacques Nicolet, it was forced to retire. But Nicolet watched as his team achieve a one-two in the LMP2 class (seventh and eighth overall). 

TWO VARIATIONS IN SKY BLUE AND ORANGE

The sky blue and orange Gulf Oil livery that has adorned three winners of the race (1968, 1969 and 1975) are of course present at the 2023 Rétromobile show. The #21 Porsche 917 K (for Kurzheck, the short tail version) was one of the three cars fielded by John Wyer's JWA Engineering team. Entrusted to British duo Mike Hailwood/David Hobbs, the car was forced to retire after 49 laps due to an incident with Hailwood at the wheel. The Gulf colours were also sported in 2011 by French team OAK Racing for its LMP2 driven by Andrea Barlesi, Frédéric da Rocha and Patrice Lafargue. The #35 OAK Pescarolo powered by a Judd engine finished 25th overall.

MATRA AND PEUGEOT, TWO FRENCH FIRSTS

Exactly 20 years apart, two French constructors clinched their first wins at the 24 Hours. In 1972, Matra scored a one-two thanks to winners Henri Pescarolo and Graham Hill in the #15 ahead of teammates François Cevert and Howden Ganley. In 1992, Peugeot claimed two steps on the podium with the winning trio Mark Blundell/Yannick Dalmas/Derek Warwick in the #1 and Philippe Alliot/Mauro Baldi/Jean-Pierre Jabouille, third.

THE JAGUAR XJR-14 HEADING TOWARD VICTORY

Seen during the free practice at the 2011 24 Hours, this Jaguar did not take the start in the race. But it did enjoy two other incarnations: first in 1992 under the name Mazda MXR-01 with fourth place, then as TWR-Porsche WSC with two consecutive victories in 1996 (Davy Jones/Manuel Reuter/Alex Wurz) and 1997 (Tom Kristensen/Michele Alboreto/Stefan Johansson). The two wins amounted to legendary performances by Wurz and Kristensen who both won Le Mans in their rookie outings. For Centenary ambassador Kristensen, it was the launch of a journey that would lead him to nine wins and the title of win record-holder in 2013.

PHOTOS (Copyright - Louis Monnier/ACO): PARIS EXPO (FRANCE), RETROMOBILE, 1-5 FEBRUARY 2023.