Previous editions

With 235,000 spectators, 700 cars racing, more than 8,500 club and collector cars, and hundreds of exhibitors and events, the Le Mans Classic "Centenary" has become the biggest gathering of historic automobiles in the world...

While the retrospective of the world's greatest endurance race is an invitation to enter the world of motor racing and its history, it remains in the spirit of the Le Mans 24 Hours by looking to the future. A number of cars ran on Aramco synthetic fuel, a repeat in XL format of the 2022 experience when this type of fuel was used in historic competition for the first time.

Le Mans Classic, which can also pride itself on having opened the door to its own (historic) motor sport, is back to its twice-yearly rhythm and looks forward to seeing you in July 2025!

From 30 June to 3 July 2022, after an absence of four years due to successive postponements for reasons of COVID, it was with palpable emotion that the reunion for the long-awaited 10th edition of Le Mans Classic took place for all its participants.

Like all good friends, the organising teams, drivers and their teams, mini-drivers, exhibitors, clubs and manufacturers met up again as if they'd parted the day before... The paddocks filled up, as did the areas reserved for clubs and exhibitors. The children of Little Big Mans had grown up, sometimes a little too much.... The events were back on track, just as they had been for the last four 365 days. Few were missing and were joined by new participants. As for the public, it was always more... Having been deprived during this period of the pleasure of celebrating the great mass of motoring, it reached the record figure of more than 200,000 visitors.

And if we had to wait four years to celebrate this tenth edition, this time we'll only have to wait one, because in 2023, Le Mans Classic will return exceptionally to celebrate the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A wonderful perspective for this retrospective!

An ever-increasing number of historic racing cars, drivers from all over the world, club cars, exhibitors and events confirms the undeniable growth of Le Mans Classic since its creation in 2002.

Always organised jointly by Peter Auto and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, this biennial event is an exceptional retrospective of the history of the legendary 24 Hours race, and attracts an ever-increasing number of collectors who come to take advantage of this unique opportunity to drive on the great track.

But also from the public, even more abundant than in previous editions. This is reflected in the new attendance record, with 195,0000 spectators of all generations attending the event this weekend. That's an increase of 10% on the previous edition in 2016. Patrick Peter: "We succeed in developing the event to offer the public something new with each edition. This year, the arrival of the Global Endurance Legends has enabled us to extend our retrospective to 2010.

Exceptional weather, two laps of the clock to retrace the history of the world's greatest endurance race from 1923 to 1993, 550 cars on track, 1,000 drivers, ten former winners of the 24 Hours including the most recent Romain Dumas, the expected presence of Group C running for the first time as curtain raiser to the event, 8,500 cars representing 180 clubs from 60 makes, the celebrations of the BMW Centenary and the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT40's first victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Artcurial Motorcars auction, the Le Mans Heritage Club competition, Little Big Mans, the F.F.F.V.E. Special Exhibition dedicated to the transporters of the racing teams, the plethora of events on offer in the Village...

All the ingredients were in place to ensure that this major motorsport event continued in the footsteps of its predecessors, with ever-increasing success. After welcoming 110,000 spectators in 2014, the Le Mans circuit was visited by 123,000 people.

The 7th edition of Le Mans Classic, organised jointly by Peter Auto and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, continued its upward trend, with attendance continuing to rise and the 110,000 spectator mark surpassed. The weather was just as good on Friday, with azure skies and high temperatures for the early morning opening of the circuit gates.

A large number of visitors took full advantage of the Village and its activities, the numerous exhibitions - Le Mans Heritage Club, Les Grands Carrossiers Français, Les Innovations Technologiques, the many clubs (180 representing around 80 makes with 8,000 cars) and, later in the evening, the new Drive In cinema with its two-day screening of great "motoring" classics: Un Homme et Une Femme, Bullitt, Le Mans and Weekend of a Champion.

At 3.00 pm, day and then night practice began for the 450 historic cars entered and the more than 1,000 drivers from all over the world (over thirty nationalities), including seven former winners of the 24 Hours.

Le Mans Classic Rainy, but Le Mans Classic Happy! Le Mans Classic celebrated its tenth anniversary between sun and rain, but that didn't dampen the spirits or the enjoyment of everyone involved - the public, the drivers, the Little Big Mans mini-drivers, the clubs, the auction and the GTOs, who were greeted by the heaviest of showers (a tribute from the heavens that everyone could have done without!); nor did the success of this sixth edition, won by the n°5 team.

The capricious weather did not discourage the spectators, whose numbers rose from over 96,000 in 2010 to 109,000 today. The drivers didn't mind the occasional downpour either, and the 450 cars in the field put on a great show for the spectators. Above all, there were fewer collisions than in previous years when the track was dry. Our drivers are definitely very reasonable! The British and Germans dominated, but third place in the final team classification went to 100% from France. The 8,000 club cars that turned out put on and took off their mackintoshes, as did those of the Mans Heritage Club, while the public and the members of the jury braved the rain to pay them a visit...

Le Mans Classic 2012 lived up to its promise by exceeding all expectations: it really was America!

The success of previous years was confirmed: almost 100,000 spectators, 8,000 club cars, making it the biggest gathering of club cars in the world, 470 competition cars, almost 1,000 drivers and around a hundred Little Big Mans apprentice drivers. On the track, the mostly amateur drivers were fulfilling their childhood dreams. Hail to Team 21 for winning this fifth edition.

But Le Mans Classic was also the place to be for former Le Mans stars. More than 40 drivers signed autographs, more than 100 cars including BMW Art Cars. And it was also a meeting place for future Le Mans stars, as the Survolt, Citroën's new electric racing concept car, took to the wheel for the first time, driven by Vanina Ickx. As for the Clubs, the Jury, chaired by Jean Pierre Ploué, the brilliant designer to whom Citroën owes its revival, awarded the 1937 Adler Super Trumpf the 'Best of Show' prize for these ex-Le Mans chassis, grouped together in the Mans Heritage Club, while the 'Best of Show des Clubs' went to the Club Renault Histoire et Collection.

It was also a great success for Hervé Poulain and the new Artcurial Motorcars team, with 6.4 million euros and almost 3/4 of the cars sold during the auction... Not forgetting the most unpredictable star of the weekend, the sun, and an average temperature of 32°C!

The fourth edition of the Le Mans Classic was the consecration of the event. The event attracted some 100,000 spectators, making it the biggest classic car event in France and one of the biggest in the world. Four 'Le Mans-style' starts, given by famous guests who love the event: Buzz Aldrin, Felipe Massa, Robert Gendebien... all under the eyes of Jean Todt and other great motor sport personalities such as Gérard Larrousse, Stéphane Ortelli, Henri Pescarolo and Jean Ragnotti who took part in the race.

One of the biggest successes of Le Mans Classic 2008 was undoubtedly the Little Big Mans line-up. Gathered together in a dedicated paddock, right next to their older sisters on the competition grids, seventy mini cars were brought together throughout the weekend. Shortly before 3pm on Saturday, the pit straight awaited the children for a totally new Type Le Mans start, to the applause of a completely enthralled public.

Once again, the car clubs turned out in force to present their models to the public.

The time machine goes into overdrive and Le Mans Classic officially enters the big leagues. Art is still on the agenda, but this time with the ephemeral decoration of a BMW, created by the factory. The famous auctioneer Hervé Poulain will start this third edition in a BMW 30 CSL "Calder", just like the one entered in the 1975 24 Hours.

Among the regulars are Nick Mason, Mark Knopfler, and François Fillon, who wouldn't miss an edition of Le Mans Classic for the world. This edition is all about America! We celebrate Ford's triple victory at Le Mans with the presence of the 3 cars that were on the podium in 1966. As for the American Auriana team, it's giving Phil Hill a taste of victory again on the Le Mans circuit.

And let's not forget Team 31 which, ahead of its time, ran its 6 cars on green fuel. The dawn of a new era has undoubtedly been ushered in by Equipe Total... The Le Mans Heritage Club has now replaced the Le Mans 24H Club and taken over the centre of the circuit's brand new village.

The rave reviews and word of mouth worked well: Le Mans Classic really took off at this second edition... The start, always a great moment, was given by 7 former winners of the 24 Hours who - apart from the late Maurice Trintignant - took part in the race: Jürgen Barth, Jean Guichet, Johnny Herbert, Phil Hill, Jean Pierre Jaussaud and Henri Pescarolo.

Among the celebrities at the wheel were Mark Knopfler, Adrian Newey and the first participation of the man who would become Nicolas Sarkozy's prime minister, François Fillon. The car in the colours of Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque gave this second edition a humorous touch. Fashion designer Chantal Thomass took over from photographer Bettina Rheims (in 2002) to decorate a glamorous Type E!

A new record was set with the highest bid in Europe for the Bentley Speed 6 built in 1930 and victorious at Le Mans that same year. The Club competitions and the Le Mans 24 Hours Club (which was to become the Le Mans Heritage Club and which, for its first edition, paid tribute to the Panhard brand) took off.