Le Mans 24 Hours special

It’s a universal touchstone, part of motor sport’s tapestry since 1923. Talk of Le Mans turns one’s mind not to the city’s imposing cathedral, nor to a well-preserved old town with its winding cobbled alleys and charming restaurants, but to an annual endurance race that this year takes place for the 83rd time. Once an exercise in conservation, the Le Mans 24 Hours morphed some years ago into a flat-out sprint and its competitive zest is arguably about to reach its zenith: Porsche is chasing a 17th outright win, Audi its 14th, reigning world champion Toyota its first… and the evidence suggests there will be little to choose between them. And then there’s Nissan, late to the ball with its radical, front-wheel-drive GT-R LM NISMO. In the pages that follow we unravel the significantly different approaches that underpin their ambitions. It might just be the season’s finest race… in this or any other category.

72 Toyota
World champs Davidson & Buemi talk teamwork

80 Audi
Le Mans king strives to reclaim its world title

84 Porsche
Ready to challenge in year two?

86 Lunch with…
Legendary Porsche racing boss Norbert Singer

96 Nissan
Daring to be different

100 In the spotlight
Works Nissan racer Alex Buncombe

102 Ferrari at Le Mans
Why the Prancing Horse has been winless for 50 years

110 Le Mans 1965
A web of myths and legends

112 Private view
Snaps from La Sarthe, 1969

116 Data trace
Jacky Ickx & Derek Bell at Le Mans