Porsche celebrates its Le Mans history - picture special

We take a tour of Porsche's Le Mans cars, which have been put on display to commemorate its return to top-flight Le Mans racing after a 16-year absence

Porsche put on a display of its iconic Le Mans cars to celebrate its return to the sport in 2014
The Porsche 550 made its debut at Le Mans in 1953
The 550 proved successful in the 1100-1500cc category in which it raced
In 1958 a 550 RS finished 5th overall
The Porsche 550 was a very popular car
The American market was particularly receptive to the lightweight 550
The 550 was built from 1953 to 1956
In road-going form the 550 was powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder flat four
The 904 GTS featured a fibreglass body and a 2.0-litre quad-cam flat-four engine
It first entered Le Mans in 1964. It was a reliable car but not particularly competitive
In 1964 this 908 finished 8th in the general rankings; the 904 also won the Monte Carlo rally in 1965
The Porsche 908 had a long life, with it being raced from 1968 to 1981 in various forms
A 908 served as a camera car for the film 'Le Mans', starring Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen finished in second place in the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring driving this 908
Power came from a 3.0-litre flat-eight engine
The 908 also raced in some classes with a turbocharged 2.1-litre flat-six engine
This is the 1971 917LH
The Martini and Gulf Porsche 917LHs dominated in many races; one recorded an almighty 242mph
The 911 Carrera RSR Turbo clocked the scales at just 830kg
It was powered by turbocharged 2.1-litre flat six that produced in the region of 500bhp
This car finished in second place in the 1974 Le Mans race
The Carrera battled against the lighter Matra Simcas in 1974; it finished between two of them
The Porsche 936 had a 2.1-litre flat-six engine that was turbocharged
The boosted engine produced some 540bhp and Porsche was confident the car was competitive
The 936 won the Le Mans 24 Hours in Martini Racing colours
The 936 also won five of the seven rounds of the Group 6 championship
In 1979 the Porsche 935 secured the marque another win at Le Mans
The Le Mans victory in 1979 was Porsche's fifth
This, the Dick Barbour Racing Team 935, finished second in the same year
The Dick Barbour Racing Team car was driven by none other than Paul Newman
The podium of the 1979 Le Mans consisted solely of 935s
Porsche's 962C first appeared at La Sarthe in 1984
It had a long career, securing Le Mans wins in 1986 and 1987
It gained its last Le Mans victory in 1994
Engines installed throughout the 962's lifetime included a 2.8-litre turbocharged flat six
Many 962s were modified by their teams to better suit the classes they raced in
The Dauer-Porsche was based on the Porsche 962
It won the 1994 Le Mans race and was officially supported by Porsche
It used a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre flat six that produced 730bhp
Two Dauer-Porsches were built
A change in regulations later excluded the Dauer-Porsches from Le Mans competition
The car shares a similar appearance with the 962 on which it is based
The Dauer-Porsche was mid-engined and rear-wheel drive
The Dauer-Porsche's engine put out 517lb ft of torque
The Porsche Le Mans car display was free to view for visitors at Le Mans
The Porsche GT1 was the company's previous Le Mans frontrunner
It secured victory at the 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours race
The GT1 was powered by a 3.2-litre flat-six engine with twin turbochargers
A change in regulations meant the car could not race at the 1999 Le Mans
Porsche has a long history of racing at Le Mans
Porsche returned to Le Mans this year with the 919 Hybrid

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by Lewis Kingston

1 min read

15 June 2014

Follow @@theseoldcars

Porsche is celebrating its return to the top category at the Le Mans 24 Hours, following a 16-year absence, with a display of its past endurance racing cars.

The display, which took place in the heart of the circuit, comprised some of the brand's most famous Le Mans cars.

Included was the 1953 Porsche 550, the 1979 Le Mans-winning Porsche 935 and the 911 Carrera RSR Turbo.