This year’s 24 Hour of Le Mans will highlight American involvement in the classic French endurance event with a special display highlighting the “stars and stripes” at Cirucit de la Sarthe.

16 cars that have raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours will appear in the exhibition including:

• The three Ford GT40s that filled the first three places in 1966. It was an all-American podium with victory going to Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.
• The Porsche 908 camera car of the famous actor Steve McQueen. This car raced in the 1970 event and helped him to make his famous film, Le Mans.
• Corvette Spirit of Le Mans 1976. As a result of the petrol crisis and changing regulations there were fewer cars on the grid. The race organiser wanted to see John Greenwood’s incredibly powerful Corvette, which was a magnet for the media, on the grid and contacted the American to ensure that he would race in the 1976 event. Greenwood got his hands on a Corvette specially prepared for the IMSA championship.
• The Porsche 935 driven by famous actor Paul Newman finished second overall on his one and only outing the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1979.
• Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S 2000: Together with the ACO, Don Panoz he created the Petit Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series, races representing the association between Le Mans and the United States on American soil. It was the first agreement signed to spread the Le Mans brand throughout the world. Panoz drivers from 2000 included the legendary Mario Andretti.
• The Corvette C7R entered by Corvette Racing is the latest model Corvette to race at Le Mans winning its category in 2015. The car on display is the reserve for the 2016 race.
• There is also a 1923 Model T Ford, a Cunningham C4-R from 1954, a Corvette entered by Briggs Cunningham in 1960, a 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra, a Ford Torino and a Dodge Charger from 1976, a 1998 Viper GTS C9 and a 2001 Chrysler LMP.

All these cars will return to the Le Mans 24-Hours circuit for a parade on Saturday 18th June at 12:35pm.

The exhibition will be open to the public from Wednesday June 15 through to Sunday, June 19.