Paul Frère, multi-faceted talent - A highly-reputable driver, engineer and journalist, Paul Frère represented every top constructor at the 24 Hours between 1953 and 1960: Porsche, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Ferrari, winning at wheel of the Italian marque's 250 TR in 1960 along with Olivier Gendebien. To keep a promise made to his wife, he retired as a driver after that victory to pursue his careers in engineering (he even worked on the fine-tuning of the future Porsche 911) and journalism. In his book called "My Life Full of Cars," he shared a telling anecdote about his collaboration with Ferrari at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans. Surprised by the rather un-aerodynamic windshield of his 250 TR, he shared his concerns with Enzo Ferrari, who in turn replied: "You know what, Frère? Aerodynamics are for people who don't know how to build good engines!"

Lorenzo Bandini and Ludovico Scarfiotti, the Italian duo - In 1963, these two became the first Italian drivers to win the 24 Hours at the wheel of a Ferrari. Scarfiotti was the first of the two to take the start at Le Mans, in 1960. In eight participations, he represented Ferrari all but once, in 1961 with Maserati. He won for his fourth participation, with a 250 P shared with Bandini. They took the lead in the 19th hour of the race, on the heels of the retirement for the other Ferrari driven by Willy Mairesse-John Surtees. Later, Bandini and Scarfiotti each reached the podium once at the 24 Hours, in 1964 (with John Surtees) and 1967 (with Michael Parkes), respectively. Scarfiotti is also the last Italian driver to win his national Formula 1 Grand Prix at the wheel of a Ferrari (1966). Bandini also won in F1 (with a Ferrari of course) at the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix.

Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella, the gentlemen - This duo secured Ferrari's next-to-last win at the 24 Hours in 1964. They were quintessential gentlemen-drivers who split their lives between professional endeavors and their passion for motorsport. Owner of a shipyard in Marseille and a private school maths professor in Palermo, Sicily, respectively, Guichet (13 participations in the 24 Hours) and Vaccarella (11 participations) both boast remarkable careers between circuit and road racing. In addition to their shared win at Le Mans, they also won two major road classics: Guichet the Tour de France Automobile in 1963 (still with Ferrari), and Vaccarella three victories on Sicilian roads for the Targa Florio (1965 with Ferrari, 1971 and 1975 with Alfa Romeo).

Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt, the last winners - In 16 participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1955 and 1972, American driver Gregory only finished the race three times. In 1965, Rindt competed in his second 24 Hours, almost missing the race due to a contractual dispute between his oil sponsor and the NART team owned by Luigi Chinetti. The Austrian driver arrived in Le Mans on the Thursday evening preceding the big start on Saturday and was only able to do a few night laps at the wheel of the #21 Ferrari 250 LM. During the race, after losing some 25 minutes in pit lane with an engine problem, Gregory caught up to Rindt just as the latter was getting ready to leave the 24 Hours circuit in a taxi and convinced him to share the wheel. The duo restarted in 18th position and proceeded to defy all odds and take the lead late Sunday morning. Thereafter, Gregory remained loyal to NART at Le Mans (six starts in all, in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1971 and 1972). Rindt participated in the 24 Hours two more times (1966 and 1967). Then, after the first challenging years, his career in Formula 1 took off when he joined Lotus in 1968, with six wins until his death at the Monzo circuit on 5 September 1970. Rindt was subsequently crowned the only a posthumous World Champion.

Among these 13 drivers, two are still with us: Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella, winners in 1964. Check out the retrospective focused on Guichet in the third part of this series.

PHOTO (Copyright - Archives/ACO) - LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 15-16 JUNE 1963. The Ferrari 250 P driven by winners Bandini and Scarfiotti. The two Italians joined the ranks of drivers who have triumphed both at Le Mans and in Formula 1 at the wheel of a Ferrari, namely Maurice Trintignant, José Froilán González and Phil Hill.