Le Mans Classic Wrap

The 8^th running of the Le Mans Classic, a biennial event organized jointly by Peter Auto and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest to celebrate the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, enjoyed another successful staging under sunny skies last weekend.

Embracing the seven decades between 1923 and 1993, the event drew 550 cars and 1,000 drivers — including 10 former winners of the 24 Hours — to play before a record weekend crowd numbering some 123,000. Among the events they witnessed was 1988 Le Mans winner Andy Wallace’s triumph in the Grid 2 contest — for cars raced between 1949 and 1956 — driving the very Jaguar D-Type in which Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb won the French classic in 1955.

The other class winners were:

Grid 1 (1923-1939) – C. Trader/S. Trenery – 1939 Talbot-Lago

Grid 2 (1949-1956) – A. Wallace – 1955 Jaguar D-Type

Grid 3 (1957-1961) – C. Ward – 1959 Costin Lister

Grid 4 (1962-1965) – S. Lynn – 1965 Ford GT40

Grid 5 (1966-1971) – B. Thuner – 1968 Lola T70 MkIII

Grid 6 (1972-1981) – U. Schumacher/M. Werner – 1982 Porsche 936

55-mins Jaguar Classic Challenge – Julian Thomas – 1962 Jaguar E-Type

45-mins Group C race – Julien Piquet – 1989 Spice SE89

Also on the weekend’s schedule was the fourth Le Mans Classic auction of classic and collectible cars, where Artcurial Motorcars totaled sales of nearly $10 million while enjoying a 72 percent sell-through rate. Top seller was a Porsche 935 that logged three starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which sold for just over $1.4 million. The top five sales were:

1977 Porsche 935 client factory car – $1,431,760
1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster w Hardtop – $1,048,960
1957 Bugatti T57 Ventoux factory coach – $576,950
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Touring – $524,480
1963 Maserati 3500GT – $295,020

Another of the event’s highlights was the Concours Le Mans Heritage Club featuring 24 handpicked cars, all of which had taken part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1923. The winners, honored on Sunday afternoon, were:

Best of Show: Ford GT40 Mk2 – Robert Kauffman

Class 1923-1939: Lorraine-Dietrich – Philippe Leroux

Class 1949-1953: DB HBR53 – Dominique Lanlaud

Class 1954-1964: Frazer Nash – Bill Holroyd

Class 1965-1971: Ford GT40 – Frédéric Collot

Class 1972-1982: Inaltera 001 – Edgar Richoz

Class 1983-2016 : McLaren F1 GTR – François Perrodo

Special Prize: Panhard X86 – Pierre Mouette

Special Prize: Nomad BRM – Christophe Brunhes

Special Prize: Lola T600 – Jacques Sicotte

Special Prize “Fidélité” Porsche 934 RSR – Claudio Roddaro

Special Prize: Marcos LM600 – Emeric Bordet