Created in 1959 by the Stuttgart design office, the successor to the 356, the 911 project was a real success. More sporty, more spacious, the car's timeless lines and uncontested performance quickly give it a true sporting status. Presented for the first time in 1963 and sold the following year, it is undoubtedly the most famous Porsche model, despite many changes over the years. Thus, no less than five models, each more powerful than the last, have followed since its launch. Queen of the track, it can also boast of having won alone two-thirds of the victories of the German mark.

In fifty years, the 911 has of course become a regular at Le Mans 24 Hours. The first time was in 1966, when it came second in the two-litre class. In 1974, it came to La Sarthe with a turbocharger: the new generation engine finished second overall behind the Matra prototype driven by Henri Pescarolo and Gerard Larrousse. Years passed and the 911 continued to rise before finally winning the 24 Hours in 1979 (in a muscular version named 935, with Klaus Ludwig, Don and Bill Whittington) and 1998 (under the name 911 GT1 with Laurent Aiello, Allan McNish and Stephane Ortelli), which was the sixteenth and final victory to date of a Porsche at Le Mans.

This year, two 911 RSR entered by the factory backed team of Olaf Manthey in LM GTE Pro will be formidable competitors for Aston Martin, Corvette and Viper. The 90th anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will mark a new chapter in the great road and sporting legend, pending the return of Porsche LM P1 prototypes in 2014.

Find out in this video the 911 from yesterday to today. 

To find out more about Porsche's history and return le Le Mans, go to their microsite: Mission 2014. Our return.

For more clips go to : www.lemans-tv.com

Thierry Arman / ACO