The 24 Hours of Le Mans, an endurance car race held on a circuit south of the city of Le Mans, has existed since 1923. It embodies a century of passion for automobiles, incredible performances, and legendary racing cars. In this series of illustrations, we celebrate this rich history that has made the 24 Hours of Le Mans a major event in motorsport.

Work done in collaboration with Désigne agency for 24 Hours of Le Mans.

At Le Mans, the start is a memorable scene: the drivers rush to their cars, lined up in a diagonal formation on the other side of the track. Once spectacular but risky, this diagonal start has evolved for safety reasons. Since 1971, the cars have completed a warm-up lap before launching off at the approach of the start line, thus preserving tradition while ensuring the safety of participants and the audience.

Above: The reference photograph for this illustration. Another characteristic element of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is its Michelin ranking tower. This 25-meter-high tower provides real-time display of the standings throughout the race.

It's difficult to select just four cars to summarize 100 years of racing, as they are all equally remarkable. Here's a small sample of these legendary racing cars that have made their mark on automotive history. In order of appearance: the Ford GT40, the Porsche 936, the Ferrari 250 GTO, and the Talbot Lago T26 GS.