The automaker recently confirmed its LMP1 entry will be fielded by a factory team based out of its research center in Weissach, Germany, and headed by Fritz Enzinger. As yet, no details on the driver lineup or the car itself have surfaced.
Previous Porsches run at Le Mans are the stuff of legend, including such models as the storied 917, the 956 and the 962.
We now have a video showcasing some of those greats at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an event Porsche has managed to amass 16 overall victories in, including seven in a row from 1981 through 1987.
Currently in endurance racing, there’s another automaker boasting similar results, and that automaker is Audi, which like Porsche is part of the Volkswagen Group. If you asked them, we’re sure the people running Audi’s endurance racing efforts would tell you they welcome the challenge.
The last time Porsche raced at Le Mans with an actual prototype was when the Porsche RS Spyder Evo ran in the LMP2 class in 2009 (the last LMP1 race for Porsche was in 1998). Incidentally, this is about the time Audi started its dominance.
Note, while the first rollout of Porsche’s new LMP1 won’t take place until mid-2013, we will get to see Porsche compete at Le Mans before its 2014 campaign. That’s because Porsche will be competing at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship next year, but in the lesser GTE class using a new 911 RSR race car.
Below are three previous videos released by Porsche that also cover the 60 years of the automaker's participation at Le Mans.
