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Is the hot temperature responsible for such an incredible Le Mans Classic 2016? The fair weather helped a lot. For everything else, you just had to enjoy the amount of cars gathered and the talent (or its absence) of the drivers.

This week will be dedicated to Le Mans Classic, because there is a lot to share about such an event. We will start with a general presentation.

Out of the track, impossible to decide where to go at Le Mans Classic 2016

Let’s begin with what was available out of the track. Classics are here, from everywhere! It starts from the campsites of Le Mans Classic 2016, especially in the Camping du Houx, where were gathered most of the racing teams.

Then, we reached the Bugatti race track. The “small” circuit of Le Mans welcomed clubs. There was any kind of car you could like. Once again the Porsche club was the largest here, with more than 1,000 cars.

The other clubs set up all around the track. Some of them presented a large amount of cars, like the GT40 club. Some “multibrand” clubs brought a lot of cars as well. Their members might have been attracted by the driving sessions available (I was in one of them, and it’s really enjoyable).

At the end of the club area, you could find a large area gathering Alpines, including the latest Vision concept. They were facing Porsches that escaped the Museum to be exposed here and the huge tent of Arcturial.
The Parisian auction house chose Le Mans Classic 2016 for a beautiful sale. The Ferrari 250 GT SWB went over €7 millions but didn’t reach the reserve price… We’ll talk about the sale soon.

Behind, there was an area that you could easily miss. It was recreating a queue on the Nationale 7 road and a little 50’s campsite.

Let’s enter the paddocks. You had to pay an extra fee to be able to enter, and had to present your pass to enter. However, there is a little issue, there are far too many people authorized to enter for the teams to work with enough space. It’s hard for the audience to see the cars, with such a crowd. For the “stars”, like the Ford GT40 or the Ferrari 250 LM, we had to try several times during the week-end to be able to get pictures.
The Group C had a huge tent on the Bugatti circuit, however, they only got there on Saturday evening, spending most of the time in the paddocks instead.

The activity in the pit lane was worth looking at, as well. There were two ways of enjoying it: fighting your vertigo directly above, or on the other side of the track.

On the other side of the paddocks, you could find the Village. It gathered artists, part sellers, clothing, books, etc. Anything for the car enthusiasts, luckily they were everywhere!

On the upper side of the Village, you could find the Le Mans Héritage Club show. It featured cars that raced Le Mans throught the ages.

Car manufacturers offered nice shows as well. Alfa Romeo/Fiat were introducing the new Giulia and new 124 alongside some of their most known ancestors, while BMW was celebrating its 100th anniversary. You could also enjoy the car transporter show, set by the FFVE. You could see the Ferrari lorry that you can see quite often at Retromobile, or the famous Ecurie Ecosse lorry carrying a Jaguar D-Type.

On Friday, it was quite easy to move from one point to another and enjoy the visit. However, on Saturday and Sunday, it was really hard to move, unless you were an early bird.

On the track of Le Mans Classic 2016

This definitely was the main attraction of Le Mans Classic 2016. Any off-track ride, any overtaking, any contact was followed by cheers. We will provide you the results of each grid in the days to come.

Let’s start with the two grids that were somehow out of the competition during Le Mans Classic 2016. However, they were not out of the show. The first one was probably the most expected grid: the Groupe C Racing. There were a lot of cars that made the glory of the 24 Hours between 1982 and 1992. If 48 contenders were planned, “only” 42 actually raced. The absence of Jaguar was particularly noticeable. So was the absence of the Mazda 787B, which won 25 years ago.
The cars were capricious. And when you see how many people are needed just to start one, you understand why the Sauber-Mercedes spent such a little time on track, why the Lancia LC2 did not join the actual race or why the Nissan R90 CK did not finish, despite leading the race. In the end, the reliable but fast Porsche 962 ruled the race.

The other out of competition grid was dedicated to Jaguar. the XK engine dominated that race, with D-Types competing against C-Types, E-Types and several XK. It was neither the most impressive nor the most expected grid, but it offered a really nice race with really nice cars, even if they were competing in other grids.

They were followed by the “real” races of Le Mans Classic 2016. Let’s start with Grid 1, dedicated to cars that ran Le Mans when tarmac was an unknown product. Some of them even raced with their soft-top, which had to stay in place for the whole race back in the day. If not, they were disqualified, according to the regulations. The cars are real road colossi and the drivers have to grasp the steering wheel in order to drive them properly, even when they are sliding.
As a bonus, those cars had a “Le Mans” start. Even if it was only a simulation that didn’t really open the race. The cars gathered behind the safety car before a more conventional running start. Talbots, Aston Martins and Lagondas were then unleashed, pursued by the other contenders (including some Bentleys or Lorraine Dietrich).

The cars from Grid 2 came from post-WWII. There was a huge amount of Porsche 356s, racing against Jaguar C-Types and D-Types, Maseratis, Lancias, Aston Martins or even a few Ferraris. Some Austin Healeys, Morgans, Lotus XI, and some less common cars such as Callista, DB HBR, Morreti or Allard allowed the grid to offer a nice variety of cars. Concerning the trajectories, it was really variable, some drivers were clean, some left the bast line to avoid being hit, some were enjoying long slides, and others were more… amateur!

The Grid 3 was dominated by a battle for the first places between Jaguar D-Types, Maserati Birdcages and Tojeiro Jaguar. The cars were faster, the sound was more invasive, espacially for the Listers. This grid was a little more balanced, allowing nice duels on the track.
It was a real show, quick and closely fought. Contacts between cars did not seem to be an issue.

The Grid 4 gathered “regular” cars that we see in the Tour Auto every year. The drivers know each other and they did not hesitate to battle fiercely. Usually, you see a brawl between Shelby Cobras and Jaguars E-Types, joined by Ford GT40s from time to time.
However, the long straights of Le Mans give a huge advantage to the Americans. We saw regularly four GT40s at the first places, far ahead of the E-Types that could not use their natural agility to counter the raw power of the Fords. They were followed by Porsche 904s, Morgans and Porsche 911s, and the small Alpine M63 and M65.
It was the last grid to enjoy the Le Mans start, since the next ones never knew it, with the change of regulations.

With the Grid 5, we get closer to what Le Mans looks like nowadays. The Porsche 911s were occupying the GT class, alongside the Corvettes, Chevrons and Ligier JS1. Its big sister, the JS2, was here as well, fighting ahead. There were two Porsche 917s, cars we don’t see much in that kind of event.
They were competing against Lola T70 MkIIIs that we see more often, like at the Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or, where only withdrawal could keep them away from winning. The were followed by smaller Lolas, Chevrons, Porsche 906s or even an Alpine A220.

The Grid 6 was gathering the most recent cars. Once again, there were a lot of Porsche 911, but they were not alone. In the GT category, they were battling against Ferrari BB512 LMs, BMW 3.0 CSLs or even Lancia Beta Gr V. But those were not the most interesting Porsches in that grid. You had to look ahead, with the impressive 935s and their astonishing acceleration. And even further ahead the 936 that was faster than more modern cars!
The sound of the cars was just incredible in that grid. In particular, the Matra MS660, with its V12 offered a high pitch really different from the rough sound of the other cars. That grid was the most enjoyable at night, with the flames going out of the reddened exhausts!

Here is was we enjoyed at Le Mans Classic 2016. Peter Auto offered a really nice time, luckily without rain. Le Mans Classic confirmed its status of main classic car event in France.It’s definitely worth coming at least once.

Several posts will follow soon. Stay tuned!