[Sticky] Le Mans, The Post-WW2 Years.

You fellows have an encyclopedic history of the 24 Hours of le Mans going on here. I LOVE it!

@perrone1 

I’m happy to see that our LeMans postings from a few years ago are still relevant. Thanks for the complement. I am sure we all enjoyed working on this post.

@mg-harv 

Outstanding continuation of this series, Harv. comprehensive and well informed posting.

Nothing to add currently as I am in the middle of cataract lens replacements with my right eye just done and the left still to do. I’m finding this intermediate stage quite unpleasant and it has really affected my reading ability and photography, not to mention my balance.

I will jump in once more when I feel competent. In the meantime, I enjoy your expert creations.

I agree with Tony's last comment; I have found this ongoing post very interesting and informative and am very impressed with the knowledge base shown.  Thanks guys!

David, thanks for starting this post and thanks to all you who have responded and added to it. Glad to see it again, and my, how it has grown. Will add a few pics from my collection to this wonderful and continuing story. Hopefully we will at some point see the pre WWII contenders too.

We've seen the Embiricos Bentley before but not by this builder, MPH Models. Rear and front view of the latest in 1950's Bentley Aero design. I attempt to label the winner's average speed and distance traveled over 24 hours for each LM car displayed. 

The Porsche has a bit of trivia attached to it.

This is my homage to to Briggs Cunningham at the back of the Le Mans display. Not every year or winning car exhibited in the display but representative examples through the eras are. Evolving Aero solutions are shown through the years which help solve the equation of speed, and which turned out to be of greater importance than more horses under the hood.

Close ups of the entire display starting with the 1st winner in (in French blue) bottom left. To the left of it is lineup of beautiful  P series Ferrari's. The cars line by year and era, oldest at the bottom, moving to the right heading toward the latest in the display, an interesting and very Aero Audi.

The 1928 Bentley is my favorite in the display because of it's exquisite detailing by Max Kernick of Top Marques Models. Notice the real rock screen laid across the cowling. A master piece of modeling art in my opinion.  

@stewil I love seeing your displays Steve. Beautiful presentations, and clearly a fair amount of time and effort involved too. Well done!

Usually, fellows, when someone resurrects a thread this old, generally by mistake, John K. or I, will close it. But this has lived on as a wonderful anthology of post WWII Le Mans 24 Hours. So, for as long as it gets read and has this new and renewed interest, I made it a sticky post. BIG Thanks to all the contributors!

@stewil 

Steve, what a fascinating and extensive post. This is one of my favourite automotive topics and I am pleased that you have added so much. Thanks Tony for making it a sticky post.

@david-green My pleasure sir!

What a wealth of Le Mans race knowledge we have here and backed up by beautiful models. Thanks David and Harv.

@perrone1 Thanks Tony. I hope to do the 1964 race soon!

@mg-harv 

That would be great Harv!

Le Mans 1964

The 1964 running of the 24-hour classic looked like it would be another Ferrari blow-out, with 275 P and 330 P mid-engine cars in the prototype class and newly redesigned 250 GTOs competing in GT. This would be the last race for Jaguar and Aston Martin for a few decades, but this was the last race for the Cunningham team. But this race marked the first appearance of the Ford GT Mk. I. And Ferrari got a spanking in the GT class when the Shelby American Cobra Daytona coupe came in 4^th overall and 1^st in the GT 5-liter class. Porsche brought its new 904 and was rewarded with a 1st in the GT 2-liter class. Various 904s placed 7^th, 8^th, 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th overall.

Now to the models I have. My 1^st place Ferrari 275 P (Chassis 0816, driven by Vaccarella and Guichet) is LookSmart No. LSLM050, though models have also been made by others, going all the way back to John Day.

The 4^th place Cobra Daytona (Chassis CSX2299) driven by Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant has also been a popular subject, and TSM 134317 is the one I have. The shape may be slightly off since TSM used CSX2287 as the basis for the mold on all coupes and the others were slightly different.

I have one of the 1964-body GTOs and it is by Tecnomodel (No. TM43-48D). This excellent replica was just released and represents the 6^th place car entered by Maranello Concessionaires (the UK Ferrari distributer). It was driven by Innes Ireland and Tony Maggs.

Back around 1999-2000 Vitesse made some excellent replicas of the Porsche 904/4 GTS and I have three of them. The rear body lifts off to show off the entire engine compartment. Car #33 (Vitesse No. VCC99052) was the Holland Team entry and placed 8^th. Car #31 (VCC99031) was a factory entry and placed 10^th. Car #35 was entered by Scuderia Filipinetti (VCC99063) and placed 11^th. I’m fairly sure Vitesse made car #s 32 and 34 but they escaped my purchase years ago.

The Hopkirk/Hedges MGB placed 19^th, well behind the Porsches in the 2-liter class. The model is Spark No. S5078.

As stated above, the Ford GT40 made its first appearance at Le Mans and the cars did not do well. Car #10 is by Spark (S4078) and represents the car that Phil Hill and Bruce McLaren kept in the hunt until lap 192 when the gearbox gave out. Car #12 (Attwood/Schlesser) was out due to fire on lap 58 (Spark S5189). Dickie Attwood would have to wait another six years for an outright win here.

Matrix made a model of the #4 AC Cobra A98 coupe entered by AC Cars, Ltd. and driven by Sears/Bolton (MXR50101-012). This differed significantly from the Shelby Daytonas.

@mg-harv 

Awesome installment Harv (Birthday Boy!! Hope it was fantastic!)

Hi Harv,

You have done a master class presentation here for the 1964 24 Hours of LeMans. Lots of fine detail is evident and excellent models to enhance the whole. I will read it a few times to take it all in. It does not seem like you have left much out other than maybe a few alternate models, likely superfluous to your comprehensive effort.