24h Le Mans
In 90 years, visibility has increased from 100 to nearly 1,000 metres!
"The race will test endurance and strength of all car bodies, but also both lights and the engines." When he announced the creation of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1922, Georges Durand already aspired to experience the better evoluyion of lighting. At that time, the acetylene lamp (or carbide lamp) which lit the first car had been replaced by the electric light bulb, but this was only the beginning ...
| 1923 | Most vehicles are equipped with large diameter lights powered by an electric dynamo. | |
| 1926 | Lorraine-Dietrich, monopolised the podium after a foggy race, they were a flagship for the Marchal company and the lights were called "Cyclops". | |
| 1930 | Bulbs with two filaments increase lighting performance, while development of reflectors and lenses guarantee a better quality of light beam. | |
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| Headlights from the 20s. | Halogen lights tested on the Ferrari 330 TR1 in 1962. | Xenon lights on the Peugeot 905 in 1992. |
| 1962 | Iodine vapour headlights are successfully tested on the Ferrari of Olivier Gendebien and Phil Hill. The following year, they are used as an additional light source on the Porsche and Ford. In 1965, they became widespread as the main headlights. The range of the lighting systems then increases from 175 to 300 yards. | |
| 1992 | Appearing this year on the BMW 7 Series, discharge lamps (also known as Xenon) equip the Peugeot 905 EV1 bis. In this case, an electric arc is replaced bya filament. | |
| 2011 | First appeareing on show concept cars for purposes of design, the technology of LED lights is first used by Audi at Le Mans. An LED is made of a semiconductor which directly converts electric current into light and a lens provides the diffusion of the beam. Its extremely short ignition delay is useful for flashing headlights! A brightness equal to the entire previous system consumes less power and emits a piercing white light. Weight gain is also important in comparison to xenon which weigh more than 1000g against 600g for a light system of 9 diodes. Finally, the installation of LEDs are easier because they are less bulky and give off less heat. | |
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| The LED headlights on the Audi R18. | ||
Julien HERGAULT / ACO - Translated by Tony Light/ACO
