Award-winning writer Richard Williams tells the remarkable story of
the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the world's most iconic motorsports
events, which celebrates its centenary in 2023. The event was
created by a group of Frenchmen in 1923 and remains uniquely
compelling to spectators, to the major motor manufacturers who
continue to see it as an opportunity for priceless publicity, as
well as to drivers hoping to add their names to its distinguished
roll of honour. Between the wars, those manufacturers included
Bugatti, Bentley and Alfa Romeo. Subsequently, Ferrari, Jaguar,
Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ford, Porsche, Audi and Toyota have all
been serial winners, guaranteeing the continuation of ferocious
inter-marque rivalry. Over the decades the race acquired a rich
folklore, including stories of leaking petrol tanks being sealed
with chewing gum, one competitor making his last pit-stop for a
fill-up and a glass of champagne, or the woman who drove her MG
through the night wearing a fur coat. Competitors have included
princes, debutantes, drug smugglers and a Nazi spy. Leading
Hollywood film-makers lured to the romance of the race include
Steve McQueen, who conceived and starred in Le Mans in 1971, and
James Mangold, who made Le Mans '66 in 2019. But in 1955 it had
also been the scene of the greatest tragedy ever to befall motor
racing, when 82 people were killed by a competing car, an accident
that for a while threatened the sport's entire future. From the
Bentley Boys of the 1920s, through record-breaking multiple winners
Jacky Ickx and Tom Kristensen to modern stars such as Allan McNish,
24 Hours celebrates the skill, courage and technical brilliance of
the men and women who gave the race its worldwide renown.
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