From 550 Spyder to 919 Hybrid: 8 Porsche race cars that made Le Mans history
The racing cars that helped Porsche become the most successful manufacturer at Le Mans
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With an unprecedented 19 overall victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche and the greatest-ever endurance race are inextricably linked. These are the stories of the legendary race cars that have secured a legacy
The Porsche race cars that have helped shape Le Mans’ history• Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 19 overall victories between 1970 and 2017 • Many of the greatest Porsche race cars have won at Le Mans, including the 917, 936, 956, 962 and 919 Hybrid • Winning drivers for Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans include some of the legends of the sport, including Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell No other race car manufacturer can match the 19 overall wins that Porsche has achieved between its first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, and its most recent in 2017. This is how motorsport history was made at Le Mans by Porsche, through the stories of many of the greatest race cars ever made.550 SpyderFirst Porsche built purely for racing which gained several class victories at Le MansThe 550 Spyder was the first-ever purpose-built Porsche race car. It won several class victories at Le Mans and several other famous endurance races, like here at the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico in 1954, driven by Hans Herrmann Photo: Porsche',A collection of 550 Spyder race cars being worked on at the Teloché garage village at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955 Photo: Porsche',A line of 550 Spyder race cars make their way under the historic Dunlop Bridge during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans event Photo: Porsche'The 550 Spyder notched a number of firsts during its career in motorsport – not least that it was the first Porsche built specifically for racing. After debuting in 1953 at the Nürburgring Eifel race – which it won – it went on to take five class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans during its lifespan.Despite its 1.5-litre, four-cylinder boxer engine, in competition it bloodied the noses of many more powerful race cars, earning it the nickname ‘The Giant Killer’. These included a class win, and third place overall, in Mexico’s formidable Carrera Panamericana in 1954. Perhaps its crowning achievement came in in 1956, when a 550A Spyder handed Porsche its first-ever win in a major race event at the Targa Florio in Italy, driven by Italy’s Umberto Maglioli. The 550 Spyder undoubtedly paved the way for every Porsche race car that’s competed at Le Mans ever since.917 KHWon Porsche its first overall Le Mans victory in 1970Perhaps the most iconic image in Porsche motorsport history. Here the 917 KH, driven by Richard Attwood and Hans Herrmann, crosses the finishing line in 1970 to secure Porsche its first overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Photo: Porsche',Not content with its first overall title at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the following year Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko piloted another 917 KH to victory in 1971 for back-to-back overall wins Photo: Porsche',Two legends of Porsche Motorsport, two 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winning drivers. Timo Bernhard (left) with the late Hans Herrmann, pictured here with the 917 KH that Hans drove to victory in 1970 Photo: Porsche'Despite the 550 Spyder announcing to the world that Porsche could make race cars that could be seriously competitive at Le Mans, it would take until 1970 before the company achieved its ultimate goal – to be the overall 24 Hours of Le Mans winner.This was achieved by a 917 KH driven by Hans Herrmann alongside his British co-driver, Richard Attwood. Prior to this landmark moment, Porsche had entered smaller displacement cars, albeit with great success in their respective classes. But the 917 KH (the ‘KH’ stands for Kurzheck, or short tail, to describe its rear wing) was a very different beast. Wearing the iconic red and white Salzburg livery, Herrmann and Attwood finished the 1970 race five laps ahead of another 917 (to be exact, a 917 L, or long tail), driven by France’s Gérard Larrousse and Germany’s Willi Kauhsen, for an impressive one-two. The 4.5-litre, 629 PS (620 hp) 917 KH is a true legend of Porsche motorsport, after further cementing its legacy just one year later when Dutch driver Gijs van Lennep and his Austrian team mate, Helmut Marko, made it back-to-back 24 Hours of Le Mans victories by winning the 1971 edition.9351979 Le Mans winner and, in 'Moby Dick' form, one of the most iconic Porsche race cars of all timeThe Porsche 935 raced in a variety of body shapes across its lifespan. In 1979, the Kremer Porsche 935 K3 achieved the sole 24 Hours of Le Mans overall victory for the 935, with Klaus Ludwig and brothers Don and Bill Whittington at the wheel Photo: Porsche',The 935 achieved a significant landmark when it won at Le Mans in 1979 – it was the first rear-engined race car to win the legendary 24 Hours race Photo: Porsche',It may not have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans when it competed in 1978, but the extraordinary design of the 935/78 car – known as ‘Moby Dick’ due to its whale-like shape – has made it one of the most famous Porsche race cars of all time Photo: Porsche'The year 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the homologation (for racing purposes) of another great Porsche race car – the 935. The 935 operated in a variety of forms at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the late 1970s, but it wasn’t until 1979 that it landed its only overall win in the greatest of all endurance car races.It came in the form of the Kremer Porsche 935 K3, piloted by Germany’s Klaus Ludwig and American brothers, Don and Bill Whittington. Its 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged, six-cylinder boxer engine produced an astonishing 800 PS (789 hp). But it was way more than just about pure power. With its standout sloped nose, wild-looking fender fins, contoured tail and prominent rear spoiler, it certainly cut an imposing figure on the famous Circuit de la Sarthe. In the previous year’s race, the world got to see a brief appearance by another iteration of the 935 – the 935/78 or, as it came to be known, ‘Moby Dick’, because of its whale-like contours. While this solitary campaign fell somewhat short when it came to the overall result (it finished eighth overall), it remains one of the most recognisable of all Porsche race cars to this day.936Three-time overall victor at Le Mans – and first turbo-charged car to win the race The Porsche 936/76 on its way to the overall win in the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Behind the wheel was Jacky Ickx, partnered by Gijs van Lennep, in the first of four Le Mans wins for Porsche by the legendary Belgian driver Photo: Porsche',Jacky Ickx secured back-to-back wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans by taking the overall title in the 1977 edition in the Porsche 936/77, alongside team mates Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood Photo: Porsche',Four years on from his previous Le Mans win, Jacky Ickx did it again by winning in 1981 with the Porsche 936/81. He was joined in his endeavours by British team mate Derek Bell – another future iconic figure in Porsche racing history Photo: Porsche'Another Porsche to achieve multiple ‘firsts’ in its career, the 936 was one of the most successful of all Le Mans race cars for the company. Introduced as a successor to both the 917 and another Porsche race car, the 908, the 936 made its debut at the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans. It promptly romped to overall victory, driven by Gijs van Lennep and Belgium’s Jacky Ickx.The 936 is a prime example of how the motorsport operation at Porsche dedicates itself to learning and adapting quickly from each of its Le Mans campaigns. The following year, in 1977, Jacky Ickx would triumph again, this time in the 936/77, where he was accompanied by co-drivers Hurley Haywood of the USA and Jürgen Barth of Germany. They cruised to victory, 11 laps clear of their closest rivals, with Ickx notching lap record after lap record, including one of 3 minutes 36.5 seconds – some 3.1 seconds faster than the previous best time. Four years later, the 936/81 driven by Ickx and another future Porsche motorsport legend, Great Britain’s Derek Bell, secured the third overall 24 Hours of Le Mans victory for the 936. In doing so, it became the first Porsche race car model to win the race three times.956Dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the mid-’80s with four consecutive overall winsA year on from their overall win in the 936/81, Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell did it again in 1982, this time in the striking 956 – arguably the greatest of all Porsche endurance race cars Photo: Porsche',This car was the first 956 to taste 24 Hours of Le Mans glory, but it wouldn’t be the last. Three more wins for the car followed, all consecutively. In short, between 1982 and 1985, the 956 was simply unbeatable at the Circuit de la Sarthe Photo: Porsche',The 1983 Le Mans-winning 956 was piloted by Australian Vern Schuppan and two Americans, Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert. The dominance of the 956 in the 1983 race was underlined by the fact that it locked out the entire top eight that finished that year Photo: Porsche'The 936 may have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times – but the 956 would go one better. When Derek Bell first got behind the wheel of the 956 in 1982, during testing at the Le Castellet circuit in the south of France, he was blown away with just how good it was. “It was fantastic, the car was perfect,” said Bell. “It was incredibly fast in the corners and was very stable. It had so much more downforce and was efficient in every detail. With the 956, so many corners just weren’t there anymore.”Such early promise was soon borne out in competition itself. On its debut in the 1982 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 956 shut out the rest of the field when it came to the final podium, with a then unprecedented 1-2-3. Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx followed up their overall victory a year before (in the 936/81) by again crossing the line first. It would prove to be the first of an incredible four consecutive overall victories for the 956 at Le Mans between 1982 and 1985. There are several contenders for the greatest of all Porsche race cars, but few have been as dominant as the 956.962Three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner between 1986 and 1994Derek Bell won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the fourth time in 1986, this time in the 962 C, alongside team mates Hans-Joachim Stuck and Al Holbert. His eventual total of five overall wins – four with Porsche – has secured his legacy as an all-time Le Mans great Photo: Porsche',Derek Bell, pictured in 2018, sitting on the 962 C that he drove to his fifth overall Le Mans victory in 1987 with co-drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck and Al Holbert Photo: Porsche',It would be another seven years before the 962 secured the last of its three 24 Hours of Le Mans wins. In 1994, the Dauer Porsche 962 took the chequered flag first, driven by Mauro Baldi, Yannick Dalmas and Hurley Haywood Photo: Porsche'Not content with winning four 24 Hours of Le Mans on the bounce with the 956, its successor – the 962 – followed it up with two more overall wins in the 1986 and 1987 races. Six overall Le Mans wins in a row? It was something no other manufacturer had achieved before – and no other has since. Derek Bell, once again, was one of the drivers of the 962 C that triumphed in 1986, along with team mates Hans-Joachim Stuck of Germany and Al Holbert of the USA. Designed, like so many of the greatest Porsche race cars, by the German Porsche engineer Norbert Singer, the 962 C that won in 1986 was powered by a 2.6-litre flat-six engine. The previous year, the 962 C had taken third place on the car’s 1985 Le Mans debut, driven by Stuck and Bell. The following year, the same trio of pilots did it again, with Bell securing his name in the pantheon of Le Mans’ greatest drivers by taking his fourth overall title. But the 962 story didn’t end there. Fast forward to 1994 and a 3.0-litre 962 derivative, the Dauer 962 Le Mans, crossed the line first in a tight finish, driven by France’s Yannick Dalmas, the USA’s Hurley Haywood and Italy’s Mauro Baldi.911 GT1-98Overall winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998After taking until 1970 to win its first 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche quickly made up for lost time. When Laurent Aiello, Allan McNish and Stéphane Ortelli took the 1998 title in the 911 GT1-98, it was the 16th overall win for Porsche. But more were to come… Photo: Porsche',The 1998 win was the final overall Le Mans victory for legendary Porsche race engineer, Norbert Singer. When asked to explain the car’s victory, his answer was a simple one: “We won the race because the GT1 ’98 was the most reliable car in the starting line-up” Photo: Porsche',The 911 GT1-98 featured a carbon-fibre monocoque and – in a first for a works race car – carbon-fibre brake discs Photo: Porsche'The 911 GT1-98 would prove to be the final Porsche race car designed by Norbert Singer to win the 24 Hours Le Mans overall. And what a swansong it was. The 1998-winning car was the 16th overall victory achieved by a true icon of motorsport. With a 3.2-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine that produced 558 PS (550 hp), it was a race car that squeezed high performance out of every single gram of its lightweight frame and components. It featured a carbon-fibre monocoque as well as carbon-fibre brake discs that were then a first for a works race car. Driven to victory by France’s Laurent Aïello, Great Britain’s Alan McNish and Monaco’s Stéphane Ortelli, it is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful of all modern endurance race cars.919 HybridAn all-time modern great of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with three consecutive overall wins from 2015 to 2017The races after the 1998 win were fallow ones for Porsche – that is until 2015. That year, the Porsche 919 Hybrid tasted victory with drivers Earl Bamber, Nick Tandy and Nico Hülkenberg, seen here celebrating after the race Photo: Porsche',Once again, Porsche then went on a run. Back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans were secured in 2016 when the 919 Hybrid powered to an impressive win, driven by Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb Photo: Porsche',And why not make it three in a row? Porsche grabbed a hat-trick of consecutive overall wins in 2017 when the 919 Hybrid of Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber triumphed Photo: Porsche'Any conversation about all-time greats of Porsche endurance car racing has to involve the 919 Hybrid. After the overall Le Mans win for the GT1-98 in 1998, there would be a 17-year gap before Porsche would triumph again. But it was quite a car that would end that drought.The 919 Hybrid rekindled the Porsche/Le Mans love affair with a hat-trick of consecutive overall wins at the Circuit de la Sarthe from 2015 to 2017. The 919 Hybrid made its debut at the 2014 race, when neither of the two works cars managed to make the top ten of finishers. But it would be a different story the following year, as the #19 car driven by New Zealand’s Earl Bamber, Great Britain’s Nick Tandy and Germany’s Nico Hülkenburg qualified in pole position, breaking the lap record into the bargain. In a monumental battle with another of the three cars run by the Porsche Team in the race, the #17 car driven by Germany’s Timo Bernhard, Australia’s Mark Webber and New Zealand’s Brendon Hartley, the #19 car took the win by a single lap. In 2016, France’s Romain Dumas, Switzerland’s Neel Jani and Marc Lieb of Germany won the race again with a 919 Hybrid, with Bernhard, Bamber and Hartley confirming Porsche dominance of this period by winning in 2017. While this would prove to be the last overall win – for now – by Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, these three victories stretched the lead of Porsche over its rivals to 19 as the most successful manufacturer at Le Mans.
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