The more "unusual" cars at Le Mans
Normally, the 24 Hours of Le Mans brings to mind sports prototypes and GT racing cars such as the Porsche 917, the Ferrari 512M, the Ferrari 250 GTO or the Jaguar D-Type. If you broaden your horizons a little, you might also think of pre-war legends such as the Bentley 4.5 Litre, the Talbot 105 or the various Bugatti models.
But there were also vehicles at Le Mans that you wouldn't immediately classify as sports cars. In 1976, for example, a Ford Gran Torino...
... and a Dodge Charger took part.
And in the years 1949-1954, there were also "plain" Renault 4CVs (popularly known as Renault Heck) on the starter list (see picture at the top).
However, few people will know that in 1938 (and 1939, 1949 and 1950), Simca 8 models took part. If you want to know in detail which vehicles raced at Le Mans back then, you can find a handy list on the Le Mans Classic website.
As always, a comprehensive report on this year's Le Mans Classic ( July 6 to 8, 2012), in which the four vehicles pictured took part, illustrated with over 1,000 photos (in original resolution), can be found on Zwischengas.
