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Le Mans 24 Hours
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Experience the thrill of the world’s most legendary endurance race through the extensive article collection on Zwischengas. Explore over 100 years of Le Mans history with exclusive reports and in-depth stories covering the iconic drivers and machines of the Circuit de la Sarthe.
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Walter Owen Bentley OBE (1888-1971) - designer with heart and soul
The early Bentleys from the period before 1931 are inextricably linked with their creator W.O. Bentley. Some outsiders attributed their elaborate yet robust design to the fact that Bentley had once completed his apprenticeship at the Great Northern Railway's locomotive works in Doncaster. But the cars from Cricklewood were far more than Ettore Bugatti described them when he remarked that they were very fast considering that they were camions (lorries).
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Allard Palm Beach 21 Z - better mild than wild
Allards were mostly British sports cars equipped with large American V8 engines. But there was one exception: the Palm Beach. Built in very small quantities, it could be ordered with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder or a 2.3-liter six-cylinder from Ford. However, this placed it in the middle of a field that was well-equipped by the British large-series sports car competition.
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Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport - The last bastion
Talbot-Lago was one of the last French manufacturers of luxury automobiles. By the time the T26 Grand Sport appeared, the company was already struggling, but optimism and adherence to pre-war traditions were to bring a turnaround to success, unfortunately in vain. The T26 GS, chassis number 110060 with a two-seater racing body is the last car to be delivered with the legendary 4.5-liter twin-camshaft engine - a portrait.
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Jaguar D-Type XKD551 - Too good for racing!
The Jaguar D-Type continued the wave of success of the C-Types at Le Mans. Jaguar had designed it especially for this purpose. In addition to the works cars, the "D" was also produced for private drivers and teams, who were responsible for many other successes of what is now the most coveted of all Jaguars. However, one example, the last one sold new by Jaguar in May 1957, never took part in a race, and now this fully documented and almost completely untouched car will be auctioned in Zurich in November.
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The Alvis "Tadpole" - not a car for every day
The Opel 4 PS, launched in 1924, was soon given the name Laubfrosch because it was painted green. An Alvis model from 1925 was called the "Tadpole" or "Tadpole" because all the mechanical components, i.e. the entire weight, were mounted over the front axle. An interesting model, but one that was hardly sold, despite its advanced design and racing success. This report tells the story of the Avis "Tadpole" and shows several examples in pictures.
Le Mans Classic 2023 - The centenary that was out of the ordinary...
Four days were just enough to properly celebrate the past 100 years of motorsport on the Sarthe. This year's "Le Mans Classic" from June 29 to July 2 was all about the big anniversary and therefore took place outside of the usual biennial cycle. Of course, great efforts were made to make everything a little bigger, more spectacular and more impressive than it already was.
Artcurial Le Mans Classic 2023 - valuable Renault, solid Alfa, disappointing rarities
As part of the Le Mans Classic, Artcurial auctioned a selection of 116 collector's cars with a total value of almost EUR 20 million on June 30, 2023, 50 of which had no reserve price. 67% of the cars, which were almost 44 years old on average, were sold for just over EUR 116,000. The Porsche 962C did not find a new owner, but 20 of the 26 Alfas were sold. However, it was mainly other brands that provided surprises... This auction review analyzes the results and shows the cars in pictures.
RM/Sotheby's Le Mans 2023 - not all racing cars made it to the "finish line"
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, RM/Sotheby's auctioned 22 cars related to this legendary race. 16 of the 22 vehicles were sold, with some of the more valuable rarities remaining, bringing the total sales for the vehicles to EUR 19.7 million instead of EUR 41.3 million. This auction review analyzes the results and shows the vehicles in pictures.
Artcurial Le Mans Classic Auction 2022 - "barn finds" in high demand
As part of the "Le Mans Classic" program, Artcurial auctioned 134 classic cars worth around 20 million euros on 2 July 2022. The offerings included a large number of barn finds from the Pierre Héron collection, almost all of which achieved surprisingly high prices. The "regular" classics were not quite as competitive. A total of 96 cars, a caravan and an engine were sold for a total of 11.3 million euros. The most expensive car sold was the 1954 Maserati A6 GCS/53 "Fiandri Spyder" for 3.3 million euros. This auction review analyzes the results and shows all the cars in pictures.
"Light years" of the matadors! (book review)
There is no other photographer in racing, apart from the German Horst H. Baumann, who was able to produce two first-class books with his pictures from just 10 races in a good 4 years (1961-64). "Die neuen Matadore" was published in 1965 by Bucher Verlag in Lucerne and is of course no longer available and can only rarely be found in antiquarian bookshops. Delius Klasing Verlag has now brought out a new edition of the Matadore under the title "Lichtjahre". Of course, many of the pictures are available in both publications, but this is not a problem as hardly anyone still knows the old book today. This book review takes you through the work and shows who might find it interesting.
The Ford GT40 at Le Mans from a Hollywood perspective (movie review)
The movie "Le Mans '66" has recently become available to buy or stream on Bluray and DVD discs. Is it worth buying if you've already seen the movie in the cinema? And what does it look like if you watch the Hollywood flick a second time? This film review explains who the home version is aimed at and what else stood out.
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Mike Hailwood - daring on two and four wheels
Mike Hailwood could certainly not be accused of lacking courage. He was one of the few racing drivers who was successful on two and four wheels, even if his motorcycle results overshadowed his successes in racing cars. Coming from a good family, Hailwood loved life and racing, was not deterred by accidents and raced motorcycles and Formula 1 at the same time. He died in 1981 in a car accident in normal road traffic through no fault of his own. This racing driver portrait looks back on his exciting life.
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The long road to the Triumph TR4 - TRS, Sabrina and Co
As early as 1955, when the Triumph TR3 had just been launched as the successor to the TR2, the manufacturer was already thinking about its successor. The TR4 was not presented until 1961, but in between interesting prototypes, fast racing cars and some special models were produced that have almost been forgotten. This report looks back on the period from 1955 to 1961 and tells part of the development history of the Triumph TR4, illustrated with photos that have never been shown before.
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Piper GTR (1967) - the almost forgotten racing car
Car manufacturers come and go, many only last a few years on the market and then disappear into the afterlife. Only their cars remain with us as contemporary witnesses, and sometimes not even that. The Piper GTR belongs to the latter category, and we have given it an extensive report.
Le Mans Classic 2018 - Records and legendary prototypes in the Sarthe
The 9th Le Mans Classic took place from July 6 to 8, 2018. 135,000 spectators watched the 800 or so racing cars over three days and were treated to some interesting historic racing as well as rare and legendary cars in perfect weather conditions. This race report summarizes the events and shows the racing cars together with impressions in over 600 very special pictures.
Picture story Le Mans Classic 2018 - "Saturday Night Fever" twice in Le Mans
It was a weekend of superlatives. The Le Mans Classic attracted over 135,000 spectators from July 6 to 8, 2018. Around 700 cars took to the track for exciting races by day and night, with many of the legends who once celebrated great victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel. In this picture story, Daniel Reinhard draws comparisons between the modern 24 Hours and the historic Le Mans Classic event. He shows moments and shots that even the people on site probably missed.
Artcurial Le Mans Classic Auction 2018 - Mercedes 300 SL with world record price
On July 7, 2018, Artcurial held an auction of over 100 cars on the occasion of the Le Mans Classic. The total value of the vehicles amounted to over EUR 31 million. A Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster was sold for over EUR 3 million, but other super classics failed to meet expectations, resulting in a mixed picture. This auction article analyzes the results and shows all the cars in pictures.
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BMW-March M1 - the Group 5 beast that never really woke up
Only four chassis numbers of this racing car are known, two of which raced, one of which has survived to this day. We met the racing car and owner at Goodwood and report on this motorsport rarity with almost 90 photos.
The great odyssey of a Porsche 911 ST 2.5 (book review)
As we all know, there are already many Porsche books, and dozens have even been written about the 911. So why another book, and only about one car? Because it is a very special car, the 911 ST 2.5, and because the canary yellow car was successful on various stages, namely at Le Mans and as a camera car, and because it was rediscovered a few years ago and has since been completely restored. And perhaps, not least, because the former owners and drivers are still alive and the story must now be told. Author Thomas Imhof does this brilliantly, which is one reason why the book should not only be recommended to Porsche fans, as this book review explains.
Remember Le Mans (movie review)
In less than 30 days, the queen of all endurance motorsport disciplines will awaken from its annual slumber. Just in time for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an interesting 90-minute documentary about the filming of the classic motorsport movie "Le Mans" is now being released. Our film review will hopefully reveal whether you like the documentary.
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Porsche doctor Georg Huber and his legendary "Black Forest Clinic" at Le Mans
It is not written in any racing books, but Doctor Georg "Schorsch" Huber is likely to have influenced more winners and successes at Le Mans than many a racing engineer. He was the good spirit at the Sarthe and helped Porsche works and private drivers, as well as many other people with health problems, back to health. The fact that it was almost a matter of life and death was probably part of the job. Once again, Rainer Braun recalls stories from motor racing that can only be heard from him. And he has even penned an "art novel" that is fun to read.
Le Mans Classic 2016 - The circle to modernity closes
The eighth Le Mans Classic since its premiere in 2002 brought a record number of spectators and an expansion of the vehicle field to include Group C, which was greeted enthusiastically by many fans. In the best weather conditions, the top drivers put on exciting races and the spectators enjoyed a journey back in time to bygone eras of the famous 24-hour race. This report summarizes the events and shows the cars in thrilling pictures.
Artcurial Le Mans Classic auction 2016 - no euphoria in the Sarthe
As every year, Artcurial auctioned 115 cars with a total estimated value of EUR 28.5 million or CHF 30.7 million at the Le Mans Classic on July 9, 2016. However, the public proved to be more reserved than expected and the expensive cars in particular failed to sell, while there were some surprises among the more affordable items. This auction report analyzes the results and shows the vehicles in pictures.
A different view of Le Mans (book review)
Another book about Le Mans? Hasn't everything there is to say about it already been described in books? No. Because in this book, people who were present at the filming of "Le Mans" tell very personal stories from their memories, you get to know Steve McQueen from a very private side and can look over the shoulder of the cameraman when filming began. The book is not only a tribute to the cult film but also provides additional insights into the myth of Le Mans.
The hard life of racing driver Brian Redman (book review)
Three very special racing driver biographies will be published in 2016, the first of which is about Brian Redman, who was considered the most underrated driver of his time. Even though he was not one of the absolute top drivers, he was part of the international racing circus. This book review introduces the book that provides an answer to the one or other unanswered question for all those who followed the World Sportscar Championship in the period 1965-1975. As someone who was directly involved, Redman can tell the stories from his own experience.
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Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR - a short career with great highs and lows
Great victories and a racing tragedy of immeasurable proportions characterized the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S), which was only used in the 1955 racing season. This report looks back on the short career of the racing sports car, showing it in historical and new pictures, but above all also during extensive repair work that became necessary due to an accident in 1996.
The heroes of Le Mans 1923-29 (book review)
This is already the sixth book from the Le Mans series by Quentin Spurring, which was supported as an official book series by the organizer ACO. The never before published photos and the documentation about the beginnings of Le Mans are correspondingly gripping - and not just for Le Mans fans. We have read the book and reveal why this is the case.
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Cunningham 1952-1954 - Self-construction of a track and field athlete
There were around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. Cunningham is one of the brands that are unknown today. The successful American track and field athlete and sailor Briggs Swift Cunningham switched to motor racing in 1930. 10 years later, he competed in Le Mans for the first time with his own design. In addition to racing sports cars, sports cars for the road were also produced from 1951 onwards.
The long-term racer Porsche 936 - 1976 to 1981 and beyond (book review)
The Porsche 936 is one of the most successful racing cars in motorsport history. It was created out of the need to have a car capable of winning at Le Mans. Available components and a great deal of engineering experience at Porsche served as the basis. The effort paid off! On 368 pages, Jürgen Barth and Bernd Dobronz have compiled a complete documentation of the development and racing history of the Porsche 936. This book review guides you through the work and explains who it is aimed at.
Gasoline and Magic (book review)
Gilles Villeneuve brushes a strand of hair behind his ear, Pedro Rodriguez rests on a small stone wall, Jo Siffert stands around in white jeans and cowboy boots... moments like these are captured in heaps in this book and made accessible to us. The new book is a winner thanks to the charm of the many amateur photos, which often seem almost intimate. In this book review, we show a few examples and reveal why we recommend the book.
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