24h Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum is hosting a temporary exhibition on the history of Ferrari prototypes at the race. To mark the occasion, we have crunched the numbers surrounding the Prancing Horse’s legendary feats at the French endurance classic.
Nine is the number of outright victories claimed by Ferrari since the inaugural race in 1923. The Italian constructor came out on top in 1949, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965. It is the third-highest ranking marque in terms of race wins at Le Mans behind Porsche (19) and Audi (13).
The number of Ferraris to have competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They include seven “Dinos”. To honour the memory of his son who passed away at the age of just 24, Enzo Ferrari gave his name to various models powered by the 2 L or 2.4 L V6 engine, notably the Dino 246 GT.
In addition to the nine outright victories, Ferrari also won the Index of Thermal Efficiency or Index of Performance six times.
This is the number of class wins. The latest was achieved in 2021 when the #51 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo fielded by AF Corse triumphed in the LMGTE Pro category. Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Côme Ledogar edged out Corvette Racing by 41.686 seconds and Porsche GT Team by one lap.
Although less significant than winning the race, Ferrari has nonetheless achieved three pole positions. The first was in 1963 (Pedro Rodríguez at the wheel of the 330 TRI-LM of the North American Racing Team), the second a year later (John Surtees with the 330 P of SpA Ferrari SEFAC) and the third in 1973 (Arturo Merzario in the 312PB again entered by SpA Ferrari SEFAC).
The number of kilometres covered by Ferraris at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The number of Ferraris to have taken the chequered flag at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, equating to a 46.9% success rate.
Although the figure 13 is unlucky to some, it holds special significance for the Italian marque as its nine wins have put 13 drivers on the top step of the Le Mans podium: Lorenzo Bandini, Luigi Chinetti, Paul Frère, Olivier Gendebien, José Froilán González, Masten Gregory, Jean Guichet, Phil Hill, Jochen Rindt, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Lord Selsdon, Maurice Trintignant and Nino Vaccarella.
No fewer than 564 drivers have defended Ferrari colours at the wheel of the 467 cars entered.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum is currently hosting a temporary exhibition retracing the history of Ferrari prototypes at the legendary race. La Storia Di Le Mans features a number of iconic cars in a stunning showcase.
More information on the 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum.
