The 70th anniversary of Porsche’s debut and class victory at the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans was celebrated on Thursday, June 24th at the Petersen Automobile Museum in Los Angeles, California. The class victory by the Porsche 356SL-063 driven by French drivers Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche launched the long and successful relationship between Porsche and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The success of 356SL-063 was the genesis of Porsche Motorsports.
Cameron Healy, owner of the 356SL-063 opened the event with a discussion of the importance of Porsche 356SL-063 to Porsche and its decades long motorsport history. Healy was followed by Rod Emory who discussed the multi-year restoration of Porsche 356SL-063 by Emory Motorsports.
Healy also announced the publication of two upcoming books on the early Porsche company history and the role of Porsche 356SL-063. The first, “Destined for Victory”, is being written and illustrated by Dwight Knowlton and will be initially published as a 70th anniversary first edition in early December by Carpe Viam. The second book will be a detailed history of Porsche 356SL- 063 and its impact on the young Porsche company’s ultimate success in business through motorsports. The book will cover its development and participation in European events in 1951, exporting and racing history in the U.S., and restoration back to the day it raced at the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. The second book is expected to be published in the 2nd quarter of 2022
