24h Le Mans
Porsche and Ferrari are two of the all-time greats in the history of the automobile, well beyond the framework of racing. Both carmakers have earned phenomenal legacies at the world's top circuits, regardless of political climate or weather conditions, with hundreds of thousands of spectators in attendance or none at all. They have won the hearts of fans as well as every trophy imaginable.
Ford was in the middle of a four-time winning streak at the 1968 24 Hours thanks to John Wyer Automotive Engineering's (JWA) GT40s in Gulf Oil liveries. Porsche, a regular at Le Mans in the lower categories since 1951, had previously fielded a string of prototypes with one goal in mind: to win the legendary race. The presence of the 907s and distinctive 908s filled the grandstands like never before, but the superiority of JWA's Fords denied the German marque its coveted maiden victory.
Ferrari scored its first win at the 24 Hours in 1949 followed by eight more. After the Italian marque's clear domination during the first half of the 1960s, Ford arrived to give Ferrari a run for its money and it worked: only older 250 LMs represented the Italians in 1968.
A serious contender stepped up the following year. Porsche had developed a veritable U.F.O. capable of stunning speeds and jaw-dropping lap times. The 917 came to play, but Ferrari returned with the new 312P prototype. JWA's Fords were in the running again, and Matra (after abandoning its Formula 1 programme) had been delivering encouraging results. It was the dawn of a new golden age in the history of the 24 Hours, one of countless clashes between top competitors.
The 1969 race kicked off with a bang. Jacky Ickx calmly walked to his #6 Ford GT40 while the other drivers rushed to the far side of the track and jumped in their cars, some even without attaching their safety harnass. As a sign of protest against the dangerous Le Mans-style start, Ickx took off dead last. Unfortunately, fate proved him right.
In the first lap, John Woolfe was killed in his private 917. His fuel tank, detached and on fire, was quickly run over by Chris Amon's Ferrari 312P which in turn began to go up in flames.
The Porsche 917s also struggled, breaking down as the race went on until the last model was forced to retire on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the second leading Ferrari had long since withdrawn with a problematic gearbox.
Porsche was counting on the 908 LH shared by Gérard Larrousse/Hans Herrmann to duel the Ford GT40 of Jackie Ickx/Jackie Oliver for the win. In the end, the American car triumphed by only 120 metres. No 917 or 312P made it to the chequered flag, but it did not go unnoticed by Ferrari that the Porsche was vastly superior, even occuping the lead for quite some time. Matra too made an excellent impression.
Heading into the 1970 24 Hours, Porsche called upon John Wyer to run its official Gulf 917s. Others were entered by private teams supported by the factory. The two different body styles of the cars dazzled spectators: one was short, rendering the prototype more manageable and stable, the other was longer, slimmer and faster in the Mulsanne Straight. The displacement of the flat-12 engine was increased up to 4.9 litres for some 917s compared to 4.5 litres for others. Porsche's pitbull was ready to be unleashed.
At the same time, Ferrari was pulling out all the stops. The sale of 50% of the company to Fiat in June 1969 made it possible to build 25 new prototypes, as Porsche had done for the 917. The 512 S, equipped with a 5-litre V12, set its sights on securing another long-awaited win at Le Mans. The Italian marque also put its trust in top notch private teams. Veteran drivers flocked to both camps, such as Ickx, Jo Siffert, Clay Regazzoni, Helmut Marko and Ronnie Peterson to name a few.
Rarely had a worse start been seen at the 24 Hours for a single manufacturer. Immediately after the release of the field, this time without the Le Mans-style start, Ferrari suffered a parade of setbacks. Only seven laps in, the #6 512 S driven by Nino Vaccarella broke down. Rain hit the circuit around 17:30, causing Wisell in the #14 512 entered by Scuderia Filipinetti to slow at Maison Blanche. He was then hit by Regazzoni in the official #8 Ferrari just before Mike Parkes in the #15 512 plowed directly into the pileup. Derek Bell's #7 Ferrari remained in the fight as he passed spectators on the pit straight, but just half a lap later, his car was forced to retire in the Mulsanne Straight. In the blink of an eye, Ferrari's chances of victory had been all but dashed.
Porsche had its own troubles. Two 917s withdrew from the race before the sun even went down. But the car's speed advantage proved very real, and nighttime at the 24 Hours is essentially an elimination race. Favourite contenders dropped like flies, but one man rose above, as he has been known to do. Ickx, at the wheel of the #5 factory Ferrari, gained time in the rain, preferred weather for him, wowing the crowd. But, after midnight, his efforts went up in smoke as a broken rear brake caused him to fly into a mound of sand at the Ford chicane. His was the last works 512 S still in the running. The flames emanating from the Ferrari were extinguished along with the marque's hope for a triumph.
The end of the race went slightly smoother. With two well-placed 917s, Porsche was on its way to winning. The top step on the podium was claimed by the Austrian team led by Louise Piëch, Ferry Porsche’s sister. Herrmann/Attwood had won a truly surreal running of the 24 Hours, with only eight cars making it to the finish and 35 forced to retire. The German carmaker had finally conquered Le Mans.
Ferrari was left shell-shocked. Le Mans had brought the outstanding 512 S to its knees. Two private models, fielded by North American Racing Team (NART) and Écurie Francorchamps, finished fourth and fifth, respectively. But nine others were forced to withdraw, including the four official cars. All that remained was to go to work on a new version for 1971, the last year during which 5.0-litre behemoths would be authorised to take the start.
The authorities had sounded the death knell. In fact, both Porsche and Ferrari were entering two of the most extreme cars ever seen at the 24 Hours for one last hurrah. The German marque opted to keep the base of its 917. The long version was reworked to handle almost as well as the short version without losing its main advantage: top speed. The car was clocked at more than 380 kph in the Mulsanne Straight. A 917 LH even secured the new track record during qualifying: 03:13.9, one of the rare lap times below 03:15 achieved in a century of the 24 Hours.
The ball was then in Ferrari's court. Staring down seven 917s, including the iconic "pink pig," the Italian constructor decided to go with nine entrants. In Maranello, they chose to do things a little differently. The base of the 512 S was retained to create a significantly improved Spyder version. The new car was wider, lighter, with a more refined body and slightly retooled engine, resulting in the 512 M, for Modificata. The Scuderia Filipinetti team ran a 512 F, a sort of modification of the modified version.
In a noteworthy twist, Ferrari did not officially take part in the 1971 24 Hours, preferring to begin work on its next prototype in compliance with 1972 regulations. Fortunately for Ferrari, there was no shortage of Scuderia customer teams.
Once again, multiple impactful retirements were caused by the elevated pace set by the field. Ferrari clearly suffered the most, but Porsche had its own troubles. The 512 Ms and other versions were never a real threat to the 917s. By mid-race, Escuderia Montjuïch's #15 512 M held the lead for an hour before its gearbox failed.
John Wyer's outfit, representing Porsche, dominated the start. but significant damage caused a delay at dusk. Both sides were forced into extensive repairs, but when Martini Racing's #22 Porsche 917 K snatched P1 in the 13th hour, it never let go.
The car driven by Gijs van Lennep/Helmut Marko won in 1971 after covering 5,335 km, a record not beaten until 2010. JWA's #19 917 K finished second and the first 512 M, sporting the #12 and prepared by NART, rounded out the podium trailing by a whopping 31 laps. The list of retirements included five 917s and seven 512s.
The impact of this period on the legacy of the 24 Hours cannot be overstated. In just three years of competition before the introduction of new regulations, the 917 had made it into the race's hall of fame. Having Ferrari breathing down its neck made all the difference. After the Italian marque's revenge at last year's Centenary, the 499P and the 963 will face off again this 15-16 June. Just like at the dawn of the 1970s, history is being written before our very eyes.
