As was the case in 2008 and 2010, prototypes built between 1982 and 1990 will provide the curtain-raiser of the next 24 Hours of Le Mans (16 & 17 June 2012). They could be joined by two important cars of that era ...

In the early '90s, a new class of prototype was introduced to replace the aging "Group C". Although the regulation did not meet with the expected success, it spawned a handful of cars that have become rare and valued by connoisseurs.

These monsters were powered by shrill sounding 3.5-litre atmospheric engines comparable to F1 at the time. Both cars that were World Champions in this ephemeral category (1991-1993) may return to Le Mans in June:

● A true legend of French motor sport, the Peugeot 905 won twice in La Sarthe, achieving even a 1-2-3 in 1993. The chassis EV16, that will soon be driven by Rupert Clevely finished third in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1992 with the drivers Jabouille Alliot and Baldi.

● World Champion in 1991, the Jaguar XJR-14 did not leave an indelible mark at Le Mans. Considered too fragile to run for a full 24 hours, it did not take part in the race but ran in testing to demonstrate its capability. The TWR team had to pay the price for non-attendance at an event counting towards the World Championship. The chassis 591, which will be driven next year by Gareth Evans, won the pole position with 430 km of Suzuka 1991 before finishing third at Silverstone in the hands of Warwick and Brundle.