From 1906, the principal city of the Maine region started to become world-widely renouned as the scene of the first Grand Prix of the A.C.F. organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, considered as the ancestor of all the F1 Grand Prix.

Encouraged by the immense popular success of this race, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest worked on the realisation of a competetion which would encourage the technical progress & dynamisize the evolution of the automobile.

A race of endurance responding to the outlined goals was needed. In this spirit the "24 heures du Mans" was born. The first race, on the 26th May 1923, started with 33 competitors and was won by Andre Lagache and Rene Leonard in their 3 litre Chenard & Walcker. All races since then have been held in June, with the exceptions of 1956 (July) and 1968 (September). Traditionally, the race always starts at 16:00 on the Saturday, although in 1984 the race started at 15:00 due to the conflicting French General Election. The race has been held every year since then with the exceptions of 1936, and between 1940 and 1948, when the Second World War intervened.

Since 1923, the 73 "24 heures du Mans" races to date, have increased the popularity of the event year by year. Without question, the "24 heures du Mans" represents, for the prestige of a driver & for the aura of an automobile firm, a race which has to be won.

In the original configuration, the race track used was 10.73 miles (17.26 km) long, and has subsequently been shortened on several occasions. The traditional start, where drivers ran across the track to their race cars, was last used in 1969.

The worst ever motorsport accident unfortunately occured during the 1955 Le Mans race. Having voiced his unease at the narrowness of the straight in front of the pits, Pierre Levegh's Mercedes struck the rear of an Austin Healey driven by Lance Macklin on the pit straight. The car rammed the bank, exploded, and its engine flew into the packed grandstand, killing 80. Levegh died instantly, and the entire Mercedes team was withdrawn, including Stirling Moss and Juan-Manuel Fangio. This precipitated the complete withdrawal from motorsport for Mercedes.

Advanced technology: better construction, increased comfort, fuel economy, alot of these technical innovations were first of all tested at the "24 heures du Mans" & then applied, with success, to the commercial car market.

That is why the "24 heures du Mans" has always been an incomparable bench-mark where the reputed constructors forge a spirited & positive image, through the quality label of the "24 heures du Mans".