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THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS CLOCK

Ten years. Ten races. One clock.

For a decade, this clock stood above one of motorsport’s most celebrated stages. At the Circuit de la Sarthe, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is ultimately measured by something no driver, team or manufacturer can control: time. From 1991 through 2000, it marked the passage of Mazda, Peugeot, Porsche, McLaren, BMW and Audi. Different eras, technologies and approaches to winning the world’s greatest endurance race. All raced against the same clock.

The blue-and-yellow Le Mans clock installation displayed behind a white, red and blue Porsche.

1991–2000

A DECADE AT LE MANS

Ten editions of the 24 Hours passed beneath the clock.

  1. 1991

    Mazda 787B

    Johnny Herbert · Volker Weidler · Bertrand Gachot

  2. 1992

    Peugeot 905

    Derek Warwick · Yannick Dalmas · Mark Blundell

  3. 1993

    Peugeot 905

    Geoff Brabham · Éric Hélary · Christophe Bouchut

  4. 1994

    Dauer-Porsche 962 Le Mans

    Yannick Dalmas · Hurley Haywood · Mauro Baldi

  5. 1995

    McLaren F1 GTR

    Yannick Dalmas · J.J. Lehto · Masanori Sekiya

  6. 1996

    TWR Porsche WSC-95

    Davy Jones · Manuel Reuter · Alexander Wurz

  7. 1997

    TWR Porsche WSC-95

    Michele Alboreto · Stefan Johansson · Tom Kristensen

  8. 1998

    Porsche 911 GT1-98

    Laurent Aïello · Allan McNish · Stéphane Ortelli

  9. 1999

    BMW V12 LMR

    Joachim Winkelhock · Pierluigi Martini · Yannick Dalmas

  10. 2000

    Audi R8

    Frank Biela · Tom Kristensen · Emanuele Pirro

Six marques. Ten races. A decade stretching from the final years of Group C to the emergence of a new generation of Le Mans machinery.

MAZDA

1991

First and only.

First ever victory fro Japan. The story began with an unforgettable sound. In 1991, the orange and green Mazda 787B arrived at Le Mans with its distinctive four-rotor engine. Twenty-four hours later, Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot had driven the #55 Mazda to victory. Mazda became the first Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, securing the 787B’s place among the race’s most recognizable cars. It was also the beginning of this clock’s decade at Le Mans.

The clock’s first Le Mans became Mazda’s greatest.

PEUGEOT

1992–1993

Back to back.

Peugeot won Le Mans in both 1992 and 1993, with the Peugeot 905.

1992 — Peugeot 905: Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas, Mark Blundell.

1993 — Peugeot 905 Evo 1C: Geoff Brabham, Éric Hélary, Christophe Bouchut.

PORSCHE

1994 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998

Four Victories.

Few names are more closely connected to Le Mans than Porsche. During the decade this clock overlooked the race, Porsche and Porsche-powered machinery recorded four overall victories. The Dauer-Porsche 962 Le Mans won in 1994. The TWR Porsche WSC-95 followed with consecutive victories in 1996 and 1997. In 1998, Porsche marked its 50th anniversary with a commanding 1–2 finish by the 911 GT1-98. Laurent Aïello, Allan McNish and Stéphane Ortelli took the overall victory. Four victories across five years. Different cars. Different drivers.

McLAREN

1995

First attempt. First victory.

McLaren arrived at Le Mans in 1995 with the F1 GTR, a racing version of its extraordinary McLaren F1 road car. It had never competed at Le Mans before. The race began on June 17. Rain dominated much of the event, turning an already unforgiving endurance race into a test of survival, judgment and concentration. Through those conditions came the #59 McLaren F1 GTR, driven by Yannick Dalmas, J.J. Lehto and Masanori Sekiya. Twenty-four hours later, it crossed the finish line first. McLaren had won on its first attempt. F1 GTRs finished first, third, fourth and fifth, creating one of the defining chapters in the McLaren F1’s history. Throughout those 24 hours, this clock was there.

It didn’t commemorate McLaren’s victory. It witnessed it.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Scoring Clock - Plus 2001 (The 11th Year)

Le Mans timing displays and signal lights beside the circuit as two yellow racing cars cross the finish line.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Clock

Time, made physical.

The original blue-and-yellow transport enclosure marked Le Mans Clock, Please Handle With Care and Do Not Tip.
The Le Mans clock installation displayed behind the white, red and blue number 277 Porsche.

The second most famous clock in the world, was not created to commemorate a race. It was part of the race. Installed within the Le Mans timing and race-control infrastructure, its square analog face stood prominently above the circuit alongside digital displays and track-control signal lights. Below it, competitors faced thousands of gear changes, hundreds of laps, pit stops measured in seconds and an entire night racing at speed. Above them, time continued uninterrupted. Today, the surviving installation, including its analog clock, digital display elements, signal lights and original transport enclosure, provides a tangible connection to that period of Le Mans history.

The ONLY 24 Hours of Le Mans Clock, in private hands, anywhere in the WORLD.

1991–2000

THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS CLOCK

For ten years, some of the greatest racing cars of their generation passed beneath it.

Mazda 787B · Peugeot 905 · Dauer-Porsche 962 · McLaren F1 GTR Porsche WSC-95 · Porsche 911 GT1 · BMW V12 LMR · Audi R8

Their victories now belong to history.

The 24 hours of Le Mans clock that measured them remains. The ONLY one.