Photo : Prudencio CASALES (ACO)

 

Aston Martin's first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans dates back to 1928, the first stage of longtime loyalty between a British sportscar icon and the Le Mans legend: from 1928 to 1939, Aston Martin missed only three editions (1929, 1930 and 1936). In 1931, Auguste Cesar Bertelli and Maurice Harvey gave it its first checkered flag, in fifth position. Four years later, it claimed its first podium finish, with the third place of Charles Martin and Charles Brackenburry. It was to be Aston Martin's best result prior to the start of World War II.

At the return of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1949, four years after the end of the conflict, Aston Martin was at the start. A new chapter began under the leadership of the marque's new owner, British industrialist David Brown (1904-1993), a sportscar enthusiast whose initials DB would then be added to model monikers. The best experts on road races, sportscars and even Grand Prix were at the wheel: Peter Collins, Carroll Shelby, Tony Brooks, Paul Frère, Maurice Trintignant, Stirling Moss, Reg Parnell, Roy Salvadori…Thereafter, Aston Martin claimed podium finishes more and more frequently: third in 1951, second in 1955, 1956 and 1958. In 1959, Aston Martin triumphed in La Sarthe with the one-two of Roy Salvadori-Carroll Shelby and Maurice Trintignant-Paul Frère.

After a long hiatus and several valiant but isolated attempts, it was in the mid-2000s that Aston Martin returned to the summit of the 24 Hours, this time in the various GT classes. The Vantage presented by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest at the Mondial de Paris is a descendant of double lineage. The Vantage label first appeared during the 1950s, designating an improved version of the DB MkII, before the appearance of the V8 Vantage in 1977. Today's Vantage also replaced the DB9, whose race version won two class victories at the 2007 and 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans. The V8 Vantage GTE itself won in 2014 in the LM GTE Am class.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY JUNE 14 2014, RACE. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage won the LM GTE Am class in 2014 with the Danish trio Nicki Thiim-Kristian Poulsen-David Heinemeier Hansson.