Le Mans keeps its history alive with a steady cadence of anniversaries, historic races, and museum showcases that connect the modern Hypercar era to a century of endurance lore. The 2023 centenary set the tone with record crowds, parades of past winners, and curated exhibitions, while the Le Mans Classic revived legendary grids across the eras. The ACO’s museum has extended the storytelling with rotating displays that trace technology, safety, and strategy from Bentley and Bugatti to hybrid Hypercars. Beyond the circuit, festivals and salons in France and the UK have staged Le Mans-themed lineups, underscoring how the 24 Hours remains a cultural touchstone as much as a race.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans centenary in 2023 delivered both spectacle and substance. ACO-organized parades and pre-race displays reunited iconic winners before the start, framing the modern Hypercar contest as the latest chapter in a long rivalry. Ferrari capped the milestone weekend by taking the overall victory with the 499P, its first Le Mans win since 1965, in front of a record-breaking crowd. A specially commissioned Centenary Trophy and expanded heritage programming reinforced the sense of continuity between pioneers of the 1920s and today’s electrified prototypes.
The Le Mans Classic in July 2023 deepened the retrospective with multi-plateau racing from pre-war Bentleys to Group C and early LMP legends. Run across day and night stints, the event mirrored endurance rhythms, with aggregate results deciding winners over multiple heats. Demonstration runs and paddock access brought fans face-to-face with cars like the Ford GT40, Porsche 917, Mazda 787B, Peugeot 905, and Audi R8. Organized by Peter Auto with the ACO, the Classic underscored how strategy, traffic management, and reliability defined every era.
At the circuit itself, the Musée des 24 Heures curated a centenary exhibition that extended beyond race week into 2024, rotating winners and prototypes to chart the sport’s evolution. The displays contextualized innovations from disc brakes and monocoques to diesel, hybrid systems, and LMH regulations, highlighting how Le Mans accelerated road-relevant technology. Archival photography, period pit equipment, and interactive features like pit stop simulations helped decode the tactics that still decide races. The museum’s regular refreshes keep the timeline current as manufacturers return to the top class.
Across Europe, major shows amplified the theme. Rétromobile in Paris hosted ACO-led centenary features in 2023, while Goodwood’s Festival of Speed marked both Le Mans’ 100 years and Porsche milestones with high-profile runs of endurance icons. The Porsche Museum’s “50 Years of the 917” exhibition in 2019 and recurring appearances of Mazda’s 787B at classics events have anchored manufacturer-led tributes. Meanwhile, the modern storyline continues to add weight to the archives: in 2024, Ferrari followed its centenary triumph with another overall Le Mans win, the no.
50 499P sealing back-to-back victories. Together, these touchpoints ensure the past remains present as the WEC ushers in a densely contested Hypercar era.
