Presented on September 12, 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the 911 landed for the first time in La Sarthe three years later. It was the beginning of a long history that in 1998 put it on the highest step of the 24 Hours podium. In 48 years of Le Mans participations, the timeless 911, as well as its various avatars the 934 and 935, scrapped on the track with several generations of GTs - and has known many honours, victories and records of all kinds. Five dates in its history emerge essential.

1966 – First appearance by the 911 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans…and first class victory (GTs less than 2 liters) for Jacques Dewes and Jean Kerguen (14th overall).
1969 – The 911's first top 10, with the 10th place finish of the Belgian duo Yves Deprez-Jean Pierre Gaban.
1973-1974 – Renamed the Carrera RSR, the 911 reached the top 5 in 1973, with the fourth place finish of Gijs van Lennep-Herbert Müller. The same duo finished second in 1974 behind the winning Matra of Gérard Larrousse-Henri Pescarolo, with a new version equipped with a turbocompressed engine. It prefigured the 935 which appeared in 1976 and won the 24 Hours three years later.
1998 – A GT1 version, the 911 gave Porsche what is to this day its 16th and last victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with at the wheel Laurent Aiello, Allan McNish and Stéphane Ortelli.
2012 – The 911 won both in the LM GTE Pro class (with the factory team Porsche AG Team Manthey) and the LM GTE Am class (with the French team IMSA Performance Matmut), and gave Porsche its 100th victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, all classes considered.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, SATURDAY MAY 31 2014, TEST DAY. The Porsche 911 in preparation for a new chapter in its already illustrious history.