1967 24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 1967
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
was the 35th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 10 and 11 June 1967. It was also the seventh round of the 1967 World Sportscar Championship.
Dan Gurney Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, ...
and
A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American retired auto racing driver who has raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes United States Automobile Club Champ cars, sprint cars, and midget cars. H ...
, driving a Ford Mk IV, won the race after leading from the second hour, becoming the first (and, as of , only) all-American victors - car, team and drivers - of the race. Ferrari were second and third, and these top-three cars all broke the 5000 km mark in total distance covered for the first time. All overall records were broken – fastest, furthest, a new lap record and biggest engine to win, along with a number of class records.Clausager 1982, p.153


Regulations

After the previous year's complete change in the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale - the
FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backst ...
’s regulatory body) – the FIA Appendix J – there were no significant changes or updates to the regulations. In an effort to reduce the speed disparity between the classes, the
Automobile Club de l'Ouest The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West), sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the orga ...
(ACO) lifted its minimum average speed for qualification, from to . They also now required all cars to qualify to be within 85% of the pole-position car’s average speed.Spurring 2010, p.242 There was also about a 2.5% increase to the minimum distances on the Index of Performance.Moity 1974, p.109-111


Entries

Once again there was a marked imbalance between the categories with only six Sports Cars and seven GTs versus the 41 Prototypes in the starting line-up.Clausager 1982, p.148 It brought together the best of the world’s racing drivers with 37 who had, or would, race in
Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
. There were five World Champions and in the previous month, eleven drivers had raced in the
Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...
and seven in the
Indy 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianap ...
.Spurring 2010, p.241 Entry list for the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans: Defending champions Ford, along with Porsche, had the biggest representation with ten cars. The new Ford GT40 Mark IV was an updated version of the Ford J-Car, which was shelved following the fatal accident of
Ken Miles Kenneth Henry Jarvis Miles (1 November 1918 – 17 August 1966) was a British-American sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his motorsport career in the US and with American teams on the international scene. He is an induct ...
in August 1966Fox 1973, p.204 (The Mk III being a small-production road-carSpurring 2010, p.244-6). The Mark IV had an all new chassis designed and built in the United States. The big-block 427 cu in (7-litre) Ford Galaxie-derived engine from the Mk.II was now pushing out 530 bhp. Four cars were ready for Le Mans: two for
Shelby American Shelby American, Inc. is an American high performance vehicle manufacturer founded by former race car driver Carroll Shelby. The Shelby American name has been used by several legally distinct corporations founded by Shelby since his original s ...
who had the American pair of
Dan Gurney Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, ...
and
A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American retired auto racing driver who has raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes United States Automobile Club Champ cars, sprint cars, and midget cars. H ...
in one car and defending champion
Bruce McLaren Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand racing car designer, driver, engineer, and inventor. His name lives on in the McLaren team which has been one of the most successful in Formula One championship history, ...
with Mark Donohue in the other. The team had to fabricate a roof "bubble" to accommodate the helmet of Dan Gurney, who stood more than 190 cm (6 feet, 3 inches) tall. The other two went to Holman & Moody with its teams of
Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...
/
Lucien Bianchi Lucien Bianchi (10 November 1934 – 30 March 1969), born Luciano Bianchi, was an Italian-born Belgian racing driver who raced for the Cooper, ENB, UDT Laystall and Scuderia Centro Sud teams in Formula One. He entered a total of 19 Formula One ...
and
Denny Hulme Denis Clive Hulme (18 June 1936 – 4 October 1992), commonly known as Denny Hulme, was a New Zealand racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship for the Brabham team. Between his debut at Monaco in 1965 and his ...
/
Lloyd Ruby Lloyd Ruby (January 12, 1928 – March 23, 2009) was an American racecar driver who raced in the USAC Championship Car series for 20 years, achieving 7 victories and 88 top-ten finishes. He also had success in endurance racing, winning the 24 Hour ...
. After a humiliating loss to the Ferrari works team at the opening round at
Daytona Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Da ...
(who finished 1-2-3) Ford had won the next round at Sebring with
Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...
and
Bruce McLaren Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand racing car designer, driver, engineer, and inventor. His name lives on in the McLaren team which has been one of the most successful in Formula One championship history, ...
driving the new Mk IV. For safety in numbers, Ford also entered three Mk IIB's (lightened versions of the previous year's car) run by Shelby American (
Ronnie Bucknum Ronnie Bucknum (April 5, 1936 – April 23, 1992) was an American race car driver, born in Alhambra, California. Bucknum participated in 11 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 2, 1964. He scored a total of two champio ...
/ Paul Hawkins), Holman & Moody ( Frank Gardner/
Roger McCluskey Roger McCluskey (August 24, 1930 – August 29, 1993) was an American IndyCar driver. He was from Tucson, Arizona. He won championship titles in three divisions of the United States Auto Club: Sprints, Stocks, and Champ Cars. He won the USAC Spr ...
) and Ford France (
Jo Schlesser Joseph Schlesser (18 May 1928 – 7 July 1968) was a French Formula One and sports car racing driver. He participated in three World Championship Grands Prix, including the 1968 French Grand Prix in which he was killed. He scored no championship ...
/
Guy Ligier Guy Camille Ligier (12 July 1930 – 23 August 2015) was a French racing driver and team owner. He maintained many varied and successful careers over the course of his life, including rugby player, butcher, racing driver and Formula One team owner ...
) This year Ferrari chose to concentrate its efforts on the large-Prototype category. The latest evolution of the 250P, the 330 P4 had new bodywork, a better gearbox and the engine reworked, now putting out 450 bhp. Although lighter and with far better handling, it could not match the big Fords on sheer straight-line pace. Four were built and all were at Le Mans. The works team, now under Franco Lini, brought three of the cars. F1 team drivers
Chris Amon Christopher Arthur Amon (20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One racing in the 1960s and 1970s, and is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand ...
and
Lorenzo Bandini Lorenzo Bandini (21 December 193510 May 1967) was an Italian motor racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Scuderia Centro Sud and Ferrari teams. Career Bandini was born in Barce in Cyrenaica, Libya,"Hulme Takes Monaco Race; Bandini S ...
had won at Daytona and Monza but after Bandini was killed at
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
Amon drove with
Nino Vaccarella Nino Vaccarella (4 March 1933 – 23 September 2021) was an Italian sports car racing and Formula One driver. His principal achievements include having won the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Targa Florio in 1965, 1971 and 1975, the latter y ...
in the open-top, spyder, version. Team regulars
Ludovico Scarfiotti Ludovico Scarfiotti (18 October 1933 – 8 June 1968) was a Formula One and sports car driver from Italy. Just prior to entering Formula One, he won the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ferrari. He later participated in 12 World Championship F ...
/
Mike Parkes Michael Johnson Parkes (born 24 September 1931 in Richmond, Surrey; died 28 August 1977 near Riva presso Chieri, Italy) was a British racing driver, from England. Parkes was born into an automotive background as his father John, was Chairman of ...
had the second and Klass/Sutcliffe the third. The other P4 was run by the Equipe Nationale Belge for
Willy Mairesse Willy Mairesse (1 October 1928 – 2 September 1969) was a Formula One and sports-car driver from Belgium. He participated in 13 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 19 June 1960. He achieved one podium and scored a total of seven champio ...
/”Beurlys”. There were also three updated P3's (now called the 412 P) for the other customer teams: Maranello Concessionaires (
Richard Attwood Richard James David "Dickie" Attwood (born 4 April 1940, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire) is a British motor racing driver, from England. During his career he raced for the BRM, Lotus and Cooper Formula One teams. He competed in 17 World Championsh ...
/
Piers Courage Piers Raymond Courage (27 May 1942 – 21 June 1970) was a British racing driver. He participated in 29 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 2 January 1967. He achieved two podium finishes, and scored 20 championship point ...
),
Scuderia Filipinetti Scuderia Filipinetti (also French name ''Ecurie Filipinetti'') was a Swiss motor racing team that competed in sports car racing and occasionally in Formula One between 1962 and 1973. It was founded by Georges Filipinetti (1907-1973) to support Swi ...
(
Jean Guichet Jean Guichet (born 10 August 1927 in Marseille, France) is a French industrialist and former racing driver. He is best known for winning the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans with co-driver Nino Vaccarella, driving a Ferrari 275 P for Scuderia Ferrari. ...
/ Herbert Müller) and the
North American Racing Team The North American Racing Team (NART) is a motorsport racing team founded in 1958. It was created by businessman Luigi Chinetti to promote the Ferrari marque in United States through success in endurance racing. It was created in 1958 when Chin ...
(NART) for Pedro Rodriguez/ Giancarlo Baghetti. NART also ran their older modified-P2 again.Spurring 2010, p.253 After the success in 1966,
John Wyer John Wyer (11 December 1909 in Kidderminster, England – 8 April 1989 in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States), was an English automobile racing engineer and team manager. He is mainly associated with cars running in the light blue and orange ...
and Ford had split amicably. J.W. Automotive had purchased the Ford Advanced Vehicles facility and set about adapting the GT40. With a new narrow-cockpit body design by
Len Bailey Leonard Bailey (25 July 1926 – 23 June 1997) was a British automobile designer. Career Leonard Bailey became an apprentice at Austin at Longbridge in 1942 which at that time were building Short Stirlings for the Royal Air Force of World War ...
, the
Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', meanin ...
M1 had new suspension and carried the 351 cu in (5.75L) Ford engine.Laban 2001, p.152-3 After
Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx (; born 1 January 1945) is a Belgian former racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times (second-highest of all time) and achieved eight wins and 25 podium finishes in Formula One. He greatly contributed ...
and Dick Thompson sensationally won the Spa 1000km, race two cars were entered for Le Mans. Ickx co-drove with Alan Rees and Thompson had David Piper.Spurring 2010, p.250 Also rewarded for their work with the Ford GT project,
Lola Cars Lola Cars International Ltd. was a British race car engineering company in operation from 1958 to 2012. The company was founded by Eric Broadley in Bromley, England (then in Kent, now part of Greater London), before moving to new premises in S ...
returned to Le Mans with the new T70.
John Surtees John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...
had won the inaugural Can Am series in North America with a Chevrolet V8 engine. The Mk3 GT version was taken to Le Mans, now powered by an
Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...
engine developing 450 bhp. Surtees had David Hobbs as co-driver, with a second car for
Chris Irwin Chris Irwin (born 27 June 1942 in Wandsworth, London) is a British former racing driver. He participated in 10 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 July 1966. He scored two championship points. Irwin's career was ended p ...
/
Peter de Klerk Peter de Klerk (16 March 1935 – 11 July 2015) was a racing driver from South Africa. He participated in four Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-se ...
The most striking cars this year were the two Chaparrals. The new model 2F had a high-mounted adjustable wing pushing down on the rear wheels. It was now fitted with a Chevrolet big-block 427 cu in (7-litre) that produced over 550 bhp through a three-speed automatic transmission.Spurring 2010, p.258 Previous race-winner
Phil Hill Philip Toll Hill Jr. (April 20, 1927 – August 28, 2008) was an American automobile racing driver. He was one of two American drivers to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, and the only one who was born in the United States ( ...
raced with
Mike Spence Michael Henderson Spence (30 December 1936 – 7 May 1968) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 37 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 8 September 1963. He achieved one podium, and scored a total ...
with Bruce Jennings/Bob Johnson in the second car. Once again, Porsche arrived with a new Carrera variant – the
910 Year 910 ( CMX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. __NOTOC__ Events By place Europe * June 12 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under ...
was lower and lighter than the homologated
906 __NOTOC__ Year 906 ( CMVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * February 27 – Battle of Fritzlar: The Conradines defeat the Babenberg co ...
. With a bigger 2.2L engine it had performed consistently in the season so far, culminating in a victory in the
Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
, But for Le Mans, the team was cautious and went back to the 2.0L engines (fuel-injected for 220 bhp) in two cars, for
Rolf Stommelen Rolf Johann Stommelen (11 July 1943 – 24 April 1983) was a racing driver from Siegen, Germany. He participated in 63 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also particip ...
/
Jochen Neerpasch Jochen Neerpasch (born March 23, 1939 in Krefeld, Germany) is a former German racecar driver and motorsports manager. Career His racing career began in the 1960s, first on Borgward touring car, then with the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans as a first m ...
and Targa Florio winners
Udo Schütz Udo Schütz (born 11 January 1937) is a German entrepreneur, who was competing successfully with racing cars in the 1960s, and with yachts in the 1990s. Career His career began in the early 1960s. With Anton Fischhaber and his #72 Porsche 9 ...
/Joe Buzzetta. However, the team also introduced another new car: the longtail
907 __NOTOC__ Year 907 ( CMVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Rus'–Byzantine War: Varangian prince Oleg of Novgorod leads the ...
built almost specifically for the
Mulsanne Straight The Mulsanne Straight (''Ligne Droite des Hunaudières'' in French) is the name used in English for a formerly long straight of the Circuit de la Sarthe around which the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race takes place. Since 1990, the straight is int ...
. Two cars were present, driven by 1964 race-winner
Jochen Rindt Jochen is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Jochen Asche, East German luger, competed during the 1960s *Jochen Böhler (born 1969), German historian, specializing in the history of World War II *Jochen Babock (born 1953), East G ...
with current Hillclimb champion
Gerhard Mitter Gerhard Karl Mitter (30 August 1935 – 1 August 1969) was a German Formula One and sportscar driver. Early life and career Mitter was born in Schönlinde (Krásná Lípa) in Czechoslovakia, but his family was expelled from there, to Leonberg ...
and
Jo Siffert Joseph Siffert (; 7 July 1936 – 24 October 1971) was a Swiss racing driver. Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and friends, Siffert was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, the son of a dairy owner. He initially made his name in racing ...
/
Hans Herrmann Hans Herrmann (born 23 February 1928) is a retired Formula One and sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany. In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 2 August 1953. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a ...
.Spurring 2010, p.254-5 As neither Alfa Romeo nor Dino showed, Porsche's main opposition would be from Matra. Their new MS630 still used the 2-litre BRM engine, but it was built to also be capable of carrying the Ford 4.7-litre V8 (which was tried at the April test weekend) as well as a new Matra 3-litre engine still being developed. Although capable of 290 km/h (180 mph) its handling meant it was still slower than the Porsche. The same driver-combinations returned:
Jean-Pierre Beltoise Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise (26 April 1937 – 5 January 2015) was a French Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. He competed in 88 Grands Prix achieving a single victory, at th ...
/
Johnny Servoz-Gavin Georges-Francis "Johnny" Servoz-Gavin (18 January 1942 – 29 May 2006) was a French motor racing driver in both sportscars and single seaters. He participated in 13 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1967 and 1970, failing to qu ...
alongside
Jean-Pierre Jaussaud Jean-Pierre Jaussaud (3 June 1937 – 22 July 2021) was a French racing driver, noted for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 and 1980. Jaussaud was born in Caen, Calvados, and started racing in automobiles in 1962, taking courses in the Ji ...
/
Henri Pescarolo Henri Jacques William Pescarolo (born 25 September 1942) is a former racing driver from France. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record 33 times, winning on four occasions, and won a number of other major sports car events including the ...
.Spurring 2010, p.260 Last present in 1964, Team Elite returned to Le Mans with the new Lotus 47, the race version of the
Lotus Europa The Lotus Europa name is used on two distinct mid-engine GT cars built by British automobile manufacturer Lotus Cars. The original Europa and its variants comprise the Lotus Types 46, 47, 54, 65 and 74, and were produced between 1966 and 1975. ...
.
Colin Chapman Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (19 May 1928 – 16 December 1982) was an English design engineer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars. In 1952 he founded the sports car company Lotus Cars. Chapman ...
’s new design was fitted with a 165 bhp Ford 1.6-litre twin-cam engine.Spurring 2010, p.261 Alpine arrived with seven entries of its A210 including two for its customer team, Ecurie Savin-Calberson. A range of the Renault-Gordini engine were offered in 1000, 1300 and 1500cc; that latter engine was raced by veterans Mauro Bianchi/ Jean Vinatier. There was also an older M64 entered by NART. The two drivers, Therier and Chevallier, had been chosen from 200 applicants in a speed-trial by team-owner
Luigi Chinetti Luigi Chinetti (July 17, 1901 – August 17, 1994) was an Italian-born racecar driver, who emigrated to the United States during World War II. He drove in 12 consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans races, taking three outright wins there and taking two m ...
.Spurring 2010, p.251 After bring the Mini-Marcos to Le Mans in 1966, this year
Frank Costin Francis Albert Costin (8 June 1920 – 5 February 1995) was a British automotive engineer who advanced monocoque chassis design and was instrumental in adapting aircraft aerodynamic knowledge for automobile use. Career Costin was an engineer ...
came up with an unusual aerodynamic design for privateer racer Roger Nathan. With a plywood frame, fibreglass bodywork, it had a 1-litre Hillman Imp engine mounted at a 54° angle, putting out 97 bhp.Spurring 2010, p.263 And making up the class were the returning entries from CD-Peugeot, Marcos and
Austin-Healey Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker established in 1952 through a joint venture between the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company (Healey), a renowned automotive engineering and des ...
. There were only six cars in the Group 4 Sports Cars category, as many of the prototypes could not be produced in sufficient numbers. Ford had entered three GT40s in for Ford France,
Scuderia Filipinetti Scuderia Filipinetti (also French name ''Ecurie Filipinetti'') was a Swiss motor racing team that competed in sports car racing and occasionally in Formula One between 1962 and 1973. It was founded by Georges Filipinetti (1907-1973) to support Swi ...
and
John Wyer John Wyer (11 December 1909 in Kidderminster, England – 8 April 1989 in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States), was an English automobile racing engineer and team manager. He is mainly associated with cars running in the light blue and orange ...
’s J.W. Automotive. Porsche entered a standard 906 for
Ben Pon Bernardus Marinus "Ben" Pon (9 December 1936 – 30 September 2019) was a Dutch vintner and Olympian and motor racing driver. He competed in one Formula One race, the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, but had a far longer career in sports car racing, befo ...
and
Vic Elford Victor Henry Elford (10 June 1935 – 13 March 2022) was an English sports car racing, rallying, and Formula One driver. He participated in 13 World Championship F1 Grands Prix, debuting on 7 July 1968. He scored a total of 8 championship poin ...
, making his Le Mans debut, as well as French privateer Christian Poirot.
Abarth Abarth & C. S.p.A. () is an Italian racing and road car maker and Car tuning, performance division founded by Italo-Austrian Carlo Abarth in 1949. Abarth & C. S.p.A. is owned by Stellantis through its FCA Italy, Italian subsidiary. Its logo is a ...
was back at Le Mans for the first time since 1962, with the French Ecurie du Maine running one of the new 1300 GT. It had Abarth’s own 1.3-litre DOHC engine, that developed 147 bhp.Spurring 2010, p.262 In a similarly small field, there were only the seven entrants in the Group 3 GT category. The Scuderia Filipinetti and Equipe Nationale Belge teams supplemented their Prototype entries with Ferrari 275 GTBs. They were up against Belgian privateer Claude Dubois, running a burly Shelby-modified Ford Mustang GT350, and an American-entered second generation Corvette Stingray. Finally, there were four Porsche 911 S, as the car started becoming the privateer’s car of choice. This year also saw the increasing significance of the “war” between the tyre-companies, as they partnered with major manufacturers: Goodyear with Ford, Firestone with Ferrari, Dunlop with Porsche and Michelin with Alpine.


Practice

At the April Test Weekend, Bandini was fastest in the Ferrari P4 spyder with a sensational lap record of 3:25.4, ahead of Parkes in the other P4, then Surtees in the Lola (3:31.9).Spurring 2010, p.267 Although Donohue could reach in the Ford MkIV. he could only get 4th fastest time (3:32.6). The weekend also had tragedy when Roby Weber in the new Matra lost control at full speed on Mulsanne Straight. The car skidded and somersaulted off the track. Trapped in the burning car Weber died before marshals could reach the accident in time. By race week, Ford had made further aerodynamic improvements and the MkIVs were going even faster. However the cars were very unstable at high speed creating a lot of concern among the drivers,Clarke 1997, p.39-41: Car & Driver Sep 1967 and all the cars had problems with their windscreens cracking and popping out at the high speeds The Ferrari team was not without its own problems: the NART P2, going slow, got in the way of Klass’ P4 sending him off into the trees and wrecking the car but leaving the driver uninjured. Pole position went to Bruce McLaren (3:24.4), just ahead of the surprisingly rapid Chaparral of Phil Hill (3:24.7). Then came the Fords of Andretti, Hulme, Bucknum and Gardner before Parkes’ Ferrari down in 7th with 3:28.9.Spurring 2010, p.265Clarke 1997, p.44: Autosport Jun16 1967 Initially qualified with their 5.7-litre engines, the Mirages then both had failures and JWA decided to change back to the 5.0-litre engines. However, the scrutineers pointed out that this could not be done as the cars still carried the larger fuel tanks for the 5.0+ class. Ford, however, managed to supply two engines slightly larger than 5 litres to allow the cars to race. The Team Elite Lotus had a similar problem but resolved theirs by putting empty plastic bottles in the fuel tank. All speeds were up and during the race twenty cars were recorded doing over 300 km/h over a flying kilometre on the Mulsanne Straight:Clarke 1997, p.45: Autosport Jun16 1967


Race


Start

Although the day started overcast, the race started in fine weather. Bucknum's Ford and Rodriguez's NART P3 were first away, while both Chaparrals were among the last as Jim Hall insisted on his drivers doing up their full race-harness before leaving. At the end of the first lap it was the Mk IIBs of Bucknum and Gardner leading Gurney's MkIV, then the Ferraris of Rodriguez and Amon, and Surtees in the Lola. On the fourth lap the Lola's engine broke a piston. Spence meanwhile made great pace to work his way back up the field. Early visitors to the pits included Hulme's Mk IV to fix a sticking throttle, Bianchi's Mk IV to check his windscreen after an errant stone cracked it and Gardner's Ford for a new front tyre.Spurring 2010, p.249 Dubois brought the Shelby Mustang in missing half its front spoiler after bumping fenders in the startline rushSpurring 2010, p.256 and Jaussaud because his Matra's door wouldn't shut properly.Automobile Year 1967, p.224 Bucknum continued to lead past the first hour, up to the first pitstops. After all the leaders had pitted, it was Foyt now leading from Hill in the Chaparral and the Fords of Andretti and McLaren with Parkes in 5th.Spurring 2010, p.243 Suddenly Mike Salmon's JWA Ford GT burst into flames at over 300 km/h down the back straight with a full tank of fuel. Salmon bravely got the car near to a marshal post at Mulsanne corner before jumping out but was taken to hospital with severe 2nd and 3rd-degree burns. After two hours, the three Americans Foyt, Hill and Andretti (33 laps) already had a lap on the Ferraris and the rest of the field. After his early delay, Hulme then set a new lap record of 3:23.6, faster than the record pole time. The Ferraris were playing a long game, driving within their capability to last the distance. The Porsches of Siffert/Herrmann and Mitter/Rindt, now up to 14th and 15th overall, had a comfortable lead in the Index of Performance. However the big British cars were all out before dark: both the Mirages and the second Lola gone with engine issues after running outside the top-10.


Night

Soon after 10pm, as night was falling, Amon's Ferrari suffered a puncture while running 5th. Because of a faulty mallet he could not change the tyre out on the track and while crawling back to the pits, sparks from the wheel hub started a fire in the engine. Amon was forced to bale out quickly (unharmed) at a distance from any marshal posts and the car was burnt to a wreck. Not long later the Chaparral had to pit with its aileron stuck in the brake position, making the car lose about 20 km/h off its top speed. Bucknum lost two hours to get a water-pipe rewelded then had to creep around for two laps to reach the mandatory 25-lap minimum for liquids replenishment Twice Lloyd Ruby ditched his Ford in the Mulsanne corner sandtrap, losing all the time Hulme had made up having to get repairs to the undertray. The second incident proved terminal. The Rodriguez/Baghetti NART Ferrari had slipped down the field and retired after 2am with a burnt piston. By 3am Ford was 1-2-3 with Gurney (182 laps) leading Andretti (who had recently matched Hulme's lap record) and McLaren by three laps. At 3:35 am, still running second, Andretti pitted J-7, the #3 Mk IV. A. J. Foyt, who had brought in J-5, the #1 Mk IV at the same time, was complaining loudly about his American rival's aggressive driving. Distracted by this “discussion,” a mechanic changing the front brake pads on J-7 installed a pad backward (which could be done). Andretti accelerated out of the pits and under the Dunlop bridge, but when he braked for the first time, from high speed going into the Esses, the incorrectly installed front brake locked, and J-7 spun, hitting the earth banks and ending up in disarray in the middle of the track. Andretti, with three broken ribs, leapt out and behind the wall. (It later transpired that Bianchi was right and the brakes had been put in back to front) Soon behind him at speed came McCluskey (9th) who deliberately hit the other wall believing the wreck might still have the driver trapped inside, then Schlesser (6th) who tried to weave between the two. Both crashed and suddenly Ford were down three cars. McCluskey, carrying the injured Andretti, commandeered a marshal's car and drove back to the Ford medical centre. McLaren picked up a second puncture going through the debris, and then lost more time with clutch issues. To top it off, the rear engine bonnet later flew off racing down the Mulsanne straight and another 45 minutes were lost retrieving and refitting it, dropping them to 6th. This left the Gurney/Foyt car with a 5-lap lead and elevated the Parkes/Scarfiotti Ferrari to second and the Hill/Spence Chaparral fighting back up to third. During the night, Gurney had eased off a little to preserve his car, and Parkes came up behind in the second-place Ferrari to unlap himself. For several miles Parkes hounded the Ford, flashing his lights in Gurney's mirrors until an exasperated Gurney simply pulled over at Arnage corner and stopped on a grass verge. Parkes stopped behind him, and the two race leaders sat there in the dark, motionless. Finally, Parkes conceded his attempt at provoking a race with Gurney was not going to work and he pulled out and resumed the race, with Gurney following shortly after. The Siffert/Herrmann Porsche still led the Index of Performance although it was now being chased by the improving Alpine of Larrousse/Depailler.Clarke 1997, p.46: Autosport Jun16 1967


Morning

Dawn arrived clear and cold, with little mist this year.Clarke 1997, p.47: Autosport Jun16 1967 The Chaparral developed an oil-leak in the transmission dropping it down the order and then eventual retirement. The Belgian Ferrari P4 had been having a consistent race and slotted into third, with the other P4 of Klass/Sutcliffe now in fourth. However, a broken fuel-injection pump forced their retirement mid-morning. The Corvette retired with a broken conrod while leading the GT category. Bucknum and Hawkins, early race-leaders, had driven hard to get back up to 6th after their overnight delay when they were finally halted by engine issues at 9.40am. So by 10am, the three-quarter mark, there were only 16 cars still running. Gurney and Foyt had already covered 293 laps, twenty more than McLaren and Amon had the previous year at the same time.Automobile Year 1967, p.225 With a decent lead, the leading Ford could afford to drop its lap times by 30 seconds a lap. Even though the Ferraris were lapping 10 seconds a lap faster and could go 20% further between fuel-stops, they were unable to make significant inroads, and the remaining quarter of the race was largely uneventful.


Finish and post-race

In the end it was a comfortable victory for the all-American Ford with Gurney and Foyt winning by four laps, having led for all but the first 90 minutes of the race. Theirs was the only one of the ten Fords that did not have any issues throughout the race. Perhaps surprisingly for such a big engine, they also won the Index of Thermal Efficiency from their record distance covered. Ferrari salvaged some pride after the previous year's debacle with second and third, with McLaren/Donohue fighting back to fourth. Siffert and Herrmann were 5th in their Porsche 2-litre, covering just 12 km less than the 1966 winners. They led home four more Porsches including Pon/Elford in 7th, being the first Group 4 car home. The privateer Porsche in 8th just beat the Alpine of Grandsire/Rosinski who won the 1300-class. The Swiss Ferrari GTB of Spoerry/Steinemann was the first GT home, coming 11th, nine laps ahead of the French 911. The Austin-Healey, perennial finishers, was the only British car to make it to the end, in 15th.Automobile Year 1967, p.232 The little Abarth, after a race bedevilled by issues, did finish (in last place) but had not completed enough laps to be classified. When the winners mounted the victory stand, Gurney was handed the traditional magnum of
champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
. Looking down, he saw Ford CEO
Henry Ford II Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...
, team owner
Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified duri ...
, their wives, and several journalists who had predicted disaster for the high-profile duo of Gurney and Foyt. They had said that the two drivers, who were strongly competitive in the United States, would break their car in intramural rivalry. Instead, both drivers took special care to drive the car with discipline and won easily. On the victory stand, Gurney shook the bottle and sprayed everyone nearby, establishing a tradition re-enacted in victory celebrations the world over ever since.
"What I did with the Champagne was totally spontaneous. I had no idea it would start a tradition. I was beyond caring and just got caught up in the moment. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime occasions where things turned out perfectly… I thought this hard-fought victory needed something special”.
Gurney, incidentally, autographed and gave the bottle of champagne to ''
Life Magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...
'' photographer, Flip Schulke, who used it as a lamp for 30 years. Schulke later returned the bottle to Gurney, who placed it in his
All American Racers All American Racers is an American auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races as well a ...
team headquarters’ boardroom in California. Chaparral got its due reward a month later with the only victory for the 2F at Brands Hatch. It was a suitable finale for
Phil Hill Philip Toll Hill Jr. (April 20, 1927 – August 28, 2008) was an American automobile racing driver. He was one of two American drivers to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, and the only one who was born in the United States ( ...
, 1961 F1 World Champion to retire from a distinguished sports-car racing career that included three Le Mans victories.


Official results


Finishers

Results taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACOSpurring 2010, p.2 Class Winners are in Bold text. * Note *'': Not Classified because Insufficient distance covered.


Did Not Finish


Did Not Start


Class Winners

* Note: setting a new Distance Record.


Index of Thermal Efficiency

Spurring 2010, p.171 * Note: Only the top ten positions are included in this set of standings.


Index of Performance

Taken from Moity's book.Moity 1974, p.176 * Note: Only the top ten positions are included in this set of standings. A score of 1.00 means meeting the minimum distance for the car, and a higher score is exceeding the nominal target distance.


Statistics

Taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO * Fastest Lap in practice – B.McLaren, #2 Ford Mk IV – 3:24.4secs; * Fastest Lap – D.Hulme, #4 Ford Mk IV / M.Andretti #3 Ford Mk IV – 3:23.6secs; * Distance – * Winner's Average Speed – * Attendance – 310 000Clarke 1997, p.42: Autosport Jun16 1967


Challenge Mondial de Vitesse et Endurance Standings

As calculated after Le Mans, Round 4 of 4 ;Citations


References

* Armstrong, Douglas – English editor (1967) Automobile Year #15 1967-68 Lausanne: Edita S.A. * Clarke, R.M. - editor (1997) Le Mans 'The Ford and Matra Years 1966-1974' Cobham, Surrey: Brooklands Books * Clausager, Anders (1982) Le Mans London: Arthur Barker Ltd * Fox, Charles (1973) The Great Racing Cars & Drivers London: Octopus Books Ltd * Laban, Brian (2001) Le Mans 24 Hours London: Virgin Books * Moity, Christian (1974) The Le Mans 24 Hour Race 1949-1973 Radnor, Pennsylvania:
Chilton Book Co Chilton Company (AKA Chilton Printing Co., Chilton Publishing Co., Chilton Book Co. and Chilton Research Services) is a former publishing company, most famous for its trade magazines, and automotive manuals. It also provided conference and market ...
* Spurring, Quentin (2010) Le Mans 1960-69 Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing


External links


Racing Sports Cars
nbsp;– Le Mans 24 Hours 1967 entries, results, technical detail. Retrieved 9 April 2018
Le Mans History
nbsp;– Le Mans History, hour-by-hour (incl. pictures, YouTube links). Retrieved 9 April 2018

nbsp;– results, reserve entries & chassis numbers. Retrieved 9 April 2018

nbsp;– results & reserve entries, explaining driver listings. Retrieved 2 May 2022
Unique Cars & Parts
nbsp;– results & reserve entries. Retrieved 9 April 2018

nbsp;– Le Mans results & reserve entries. Retrieved 9 April 2018
YouTube
nbsp;– American colour news report about the start & the finish (3mins). Retrieved 9 April 2018
YouTube
nbsp;– Colour personal footage with music overlaid (7mins). Retrieved 9 April 2018
YouTube
nbsp;– Colour personal 8mm footage (10mins). Retrieved 9 April 2018
YouTube
nbsp;– B/w footage, in Spanish (4mins). Retrieved 9 April 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:1967 24 Hours Of Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans races
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
1967 in French motorsport