The 24 Hours of Le Mans, a pinnacle of motor racing, is one of the world’s most prestigious and historic races. The iconic race, which has been a part of the motorsport landscape since 1923, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023, a milestone marked by a victory for Ferrari. Over the years, multiple manufacturers have left their mark on this race, and this list will delve into 13 of the finest, detailing their total number of outright wins at the race.
Porsche – 19 Wins
Porsche, the reigning champions of Le Mans, has a rich history at this prestigious race. Their new Porsche 963 LMDH hypercar could secure their 20th victory in 2024. The German manufacturer’s journey to dominance began in 1970 with their iconic Porsche 917, and they have since added numerous triumphs to their name, solidifying their status as the current kings of Le Mans.
One of their most memorable runs comes in the LMP1 era from 2015 to 2017. Porsche clinched the great race three years in a row with its 919 Hybrid, which was not easy considering the fierce competition from rivals Toyota and Audi, who were always in the mix at the event.
Audi – 13
Following Porsche’s Le Mans success is Audi, which currently has 13 wins. That number will likely remain until the manufacturer pulls the plug on its planned LMDH entry for 2024. Audi first began racing sportscars at the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours, and it took a podium on debut before a first win came in 2000 with the Audi R8.
Audi would dominate Le Mans for much of the 2000s, although it lost races to Peugeot and Bentley during that time. Its most famous wins again came during the LMP1 era of the World Endurance Championship. Audi’s last win at Le Mans was in 2014, a race that showed their class and brilliance in a car that wasn’t on the same level as early race leaders Toyota.
FERRARI – 10
Ferrari has competed at Le Mans for decades but has recently been in the GT category. Its last win before it debuted the new 499P was in 1965 when it took victory with Masten Gregory, Ed Hugus, and Jochen Rindt at the wheel of a Ferrari 250 LM entered by the North American Racing Team.
Its latest triumph, however, was remarkable, as James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi fought hard against the might of Toyota and Peugeot for a well-earned win that was only decided in the last few hours. Ferrari has had a tricky start to the 2024 WEC season. However, it looks like it will be a favorite for Le Mans this year after improving the pace of its 499P over the last two events.
Jaguar – 7
It has been some time since Jaguar last competed at Le Mans, but its first victory was in 1951 with the gorgeous Jaguar C-Type. Jaguar won the race again with the C-Type in 1953 before adding wins in 1955, 1956, and 1957 with the D-Type to its name. Jaguar would go on hiatus from Le Mans for the 1970s before it returned to the French endurance classic in the 1980s.
In partnership with Tom Walkinshaw Racing, Jaguar entered the XJR series of cars and won Le Mans again with the XJR-9 in 1988. It added another win to its tally in 1990 with the XJR-12. This was Jaguar’s last win at Le Mans, although the XJR-14 of 1991 did win the 1991 World Sportscar Championship.
Bentley – 6
Bentley started competing at Le Mans right from the start, with W.O. Bentley, the company’s founder, persuaded to participate in the race’s first edition in 1923. Drivers Captain John F. Duff and Frank Clement, racing with the Bentley 3 Litre Sport, took fourth place that year before the manufacturer won its first Le Mans 24 Horus in 1924.
Bentley would rack up several more wins over the next few years, including in 1930, before they withdrew from the race in 1931. Bentley returned to the great race in 2001 with the stunning Bentley Speed 8. It finished third in the race that year and fourth in 2002 before an evolved Speed 8 took a 1-2 finish for the British manufacturer in 2003.
Toyota – 5
Japanese manufacturer Toyota should have eight wins in total at Le Mans. Toyota dominated the 2014 event before its lead contender retired in the night. It agonizingly lost the 2016 event on the very last lap, and it had the fastest car in the field in 2017, but misfortune, bad luck, and mistakes from its drivers saw Porsche take its third consecutive Le Mans win.
However, it finally won in 2018 and every Le Mans up to 2023. However, given the lack of competition in LMP1 and the first two years of the WEC’s hypercar category, it had a more leisurely ride than some. However, after such agonizing losses, few could be unhappy for Toyota, and it pushed Ferrari hard in 2023 before settling for second place. A win in 2024 looks tricky, with Toyota off the pace with its current LMH hypercar.
Alfa Romeo – 4
Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo has had a lot of success in motorsport, ranging from Formula 1 to sports cars, rallying, and touring car racing. Of course, some of its most famous moments have come at Le Mans, where it has taken four overall victories. The first came in 1931 with Henry Birkin and Earl Howe at the wheel of the gorgeous Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 LM.
This kickstarted a run of four consecutive wins for Alfa Romeo from 1931 to 1934, the final victory coming thanks to Luigi Chinetti and Philippe Etancelin with the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300. It wouldn’t win the race outright again, but it took a class win at the 1964 race running with the Alfa Romeo TZ.
Ford – 4
American manufacturer Ford also has four overall wins at Le Mans, all of which came with the remarkable Ford GT40. The Blue Oval would also add a class triumph to its tally in 2016 with the new Ford GT, but the wins with the GT40 remain the company’s most famous.
Ford ended years of Ferrari dominance at the great race, with Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren winning in 1966, albeit in controversial circumstances thanks to Ford’s contentious photo finish, which robbed Ken Miles and Denny Hulme of victory. Tragically, Miles would be killed testing a new version of the GT40 just a few months after the 1966 event.
Matra-Simca – 3
French manufacturer Matra is a company that was once a household name in motorsport. Its cars won multiple races in Formula 1, with Jackie Stewart winning his first world title by driving a Tyrrell-Matra MS80. However, the Matra won three victories overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
These three victories came in consecutive years, from 1972 to 1974, with iconic drivers such as Graham Hill, Henri Pescarolo, and Gerad Larrousse behind the wheel. Each win came with evolutions of the Group 5 Matra-Simca MS670, one of the most eye-catching prototypes of the era.
Peugeot – 3
Peugeot returned to the top level of sports car racing halfway through 2021, and its current 9X8 prototype is looking to add a fourth win to the French manufacturer’s tally at the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours. Before this year’s event, Peugeot had taken three victories at the French endurance classic, with the last coming in 2009 with David Brabham, Marc Gene, and Alexander Wurz at the wheel.
Peugeot also won the race in 1993 with Christophe Bouchut, Geoff Brabham, and Eric Helary. Its first win at Le Mans came in 1992. That year, Mrk Blundell, Yannick Dalmas, and Derek Warwick drove the 9045 Evo 1 to victory. Peugeot has had a tough time since it returned to the WEC in 2021, with just one podium finish to its name, although it had a competitive showing at Le Mans in 2023.
Lorraine-Dietrich -2
Lorraine-Dietrich is probably one of the more obscure names on this list, but the French manufacturer has won Le Mans twice. If you haven’t heard of them, that’s because it last won the event in 1926, having also won the 24-hour race the previous year. Its first win came thanks to Gerard de Courcelles and Andre Rossignol, driving the Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6 Sport.
The following year, Robert Block and Rossignol added a second Le Mans win to Lorraine-Dietrich’s tally with the evolved B3-6 Le Mans. Lorraine-Dietrich produced cars and aircraft engines from 1896 to 1935, with automobile production becoming unprofitable for the company in the 1930s.
Bugatti – 2
Bugatti is regularly associated with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, yet the French manufacturer has only won the race twice. Once again, it is some time since their last victory, which came just before the commencement of World War 2. That year, Pierre Veyron and Jean-Pierre Wimille won the race aboard the stunning Bugatti Type 57S Tank.
Bugatti’s first win at Le Mans came in 1937, with Robert Benoist and Wimille behind the Type 57G Tank wheel. Bugatti hasn’t returned to Le Mans since the 1930s. However, its stunning track-only Bolide hypercar, which lapped the Nurburgring just four seconds slower than current record holder the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, perhaps hints at a future run at the event.
Aston Martin – 1
Despite its multiple class wins at Le Mans and overall motorsport pedigree, Aston Martin has taken just one outright win at Le Mans. This win came in 1959, with Roy Salvadori and a certain Carroll Shelby at the wheel of the Aston Martin DBR1/300. That year, the car was entered under the David Brown Racing Dept. team.
The DBR1 is one of the rarest and most desirable Aston Martins in 2024. In August 2017, a DBR1/1 sold for a world record price for a British-made car of $22,555,000. The win for Shelby at Le Mans was his sole victory at the French endurance race, and he would describe it as “probably the greatest thrill I ever got out of racing.”
