A testing ground

Tyres, headlights, disc brakes and air conditioning were all tried at Le Mans first. The 24 Hours circuit is an ideal testing ground for innovation, a gruelling test of reliability. Incredible features tried out on Le Mans prototypes end up on production line cars a few years later.

Finishing the 24 Hours of Le Mans is proof of reliability. The race’s founding principle has ensured its longevity and worldwide renown. The idea was to encourage manufacturers and teams to attend to the finest details of the cars they produced by putting them to the ultimate test of reliability.

Inventions developed over the ninety years the race has been running have found their way to ordinary, everyday road cars.
Bugatti, Cadillac and Porsche aerodynamics, Jaguar Type-C disc brakes, turbo engines, headlights, windscreen wipers and more now feature on cars all over the world. In 2006, Audi was first to win the race with a diesel engine and later with hybrid power.

The race moves with the times, celebrating the quest for performance, which not only involves speed and reliability, but also efficiency and sustainability.

Each year, a spot on the grid is reserved for a project involving new technology, meaning a team can use the race as a life-size laboratory.

 

The 24 Hours of Le Mans celebrates invention