2 in 24
04/28/2018
As chance would have it, we were able to photograph two former participants in the Le Mans endurance classic within 24 hours.
The Salmson raced in the 24-hour classic in 1932, 1933 and 1934, while the Porsche did not compete until four decades later in June 1975. The car from Stuttgart came to the Sarthe practically as an infant straight from the Geneva Motor Show, where it warmed up and was run in within 24 hours with 291 laps. Claude Haldi, Peter Zbinden and Bernard Béguin drove the production-based 930 Turbo to 15th place overall.
The Salmson GSS with the famous San Sebastian engine was only allowed to compete in the Sarthe for the first time at the age of six and then managed 159 laps at the second attempt in 1933 with the two Frenchmen Just-Emile Vernet and Fernand Vallon at the wheel, which is a remarkable achievement for this tiny car.
The fact that the "Tour de France" also crossed our cars during the photo shoot was of course another coincidence (and due to the beautiful weather).
You can read the detailed biography of the Porsche 930 Turbo in the upcoming "SwissClassics Revue" (to be published around May 23, 2018). And, of course, we will also be publishing an article about the Salmson as soon as possible.
