The 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 14th Grand Prix of Endurance. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe on 19 and 20 June 1937. The race was won by Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist in Roger Labric's works-supported Bugatti team, in one of the streamlined new Type 57G cars, at a record pace and exceeding 2000 miles in the race for the first time.
The race was also notable for one of the most serious accidents in the race's history. An hour into the race, French driver René Kippeurt lost control of his Bugatti tourer at the notorious Maison Blanche corner. His car slammed into the roadside bank and rolled, throwing the driver onto the circuit. Coming around the blind corner, cars took desperate evasive actions to avoid the wreck and the unconscious driver. Ten other cars were involved, including the Frazer Nash of Pat Fairfield which rammed the stationary Bugatti and was then hit itself. Kippeurt died at the scene and five others were taken to hospital with Fairfield dying the next day from his injuries. For the first time, the race was stopped to allow the wreckage to be cleared.
With Sommer out after over-revving his gearbox avoiding the accident, it left a clear path for the French cars. After three hours, Wimille had a 2-lap lead. A short, sharp squall briefly slowed everyone down, but Wimille and Benoist were able to cruise to an easy outright victory by a margin of 100 km, that also gave them the Index of Performance prize. French cars took the top four places, with the 1.5-class winning Aston Martin in fifth and German 2-litre Adler in sixth.
Regulations and organisation In 1936, the dominance of the German Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams in Grand Prix racing and eclipse of French racing had led the Automobile Club de France (ACF) to draft new sports-car regulations for their Grand Prix.
These had sparked a resurgence in the French automotive industry and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) chose to align their race regulations closely in accordance with the ACF. All cars now had to be only two-seaters (doors optional).Spurring 2017, p.230Williams 2023, p.83 Manufacturers had to sign a declaration that at least 30 cars were made, sold or currently in the process of being built.
As the ACF regulations were for an unsupercharged engine, of a maximum of 4-litres, to further limit the impact of supercharging the ACO lifted the engine-equivalence ratio from x1.4 up to x1.6.Bernard et al 2023, p.133 Extra distance was also added onto the larger engines, while the 3-and 4-litre classes were eased slightly for the reliability of the new French engines.Spurring 2017, p.360 The ACO did line up with the international AIACR class delineations, now with eight eligible classes, named "A" to "H". At the bottom end, the bracket was moved up from 1000 to 1100cc and the smallest class was 500-750cc.
This year the fuel supplier alternated to Esso, with four choices: its regular petrol, 100% benzole, a ternary blend of the regular with benzole and ethanol. However, the usual 4th choice (a petrol/benzole blend) was replaced by the option of 100% gasoline. For the circuit, further spectator fencing was installed at the Esses and Indianapolis-Arnage corners.
The year also saw the AIACR formalise the flag-codes to be used by circuit marshals. Various combinations were already being used sporadically but this system has remained in use, unchanged ever since. These included a red flag to stop all cars, a yellow warning of imminent danger, a blue flag alerting to a faster car approaching from behind and a black and white chequered to signify the end of the race. Waving flags indicated greater urgency. These were all used at Le Mans for the first time, with equivalent coloured lights available around the circuit to assist the marshals during the hours of darkness.
Engine size 1935Minimum distance 1937Minimum distance Average speed Equivalent laps 6000cc+ 198.6 laps 5000cc 192.8 laps 4000cc 189.2 laps 3000cc 183.4 laps 2000cc 172.8 laps 1500cc 163.3 laps 1100cc 151.3 laps 750cc 134.0 laps Spurring 2017, p.360
Entries The change in French racing regulations had promised a strong field for the cancelled race the year before. A year later, this finally came to fruition with a competitive entry list for this race. After a year of further testing, French manufacturers were in force for outright victory – with Delahaye, Bugatti, Talbot-Lago and Delage all present, thus vindicating the ACF's decision. In a unique confluence, both Le Mans and the blue riband French Grand Prix would be run to the same regulations this year and mindful of the pre-eminent race of the season following only a fortnight later, both Delahaye and Bugatti kept their latest racing models under wraps. Their competition had wilted – the British Lagonda, winner in 1935 now looked decidedly outmatched just two years later. Alfa Romeo had dominated the race for four years before that with their supercharged 8C. However, after the Scuderia Ferrari withdrew a 3-car entry, there was only a single entry left, from two-time winner Raymond Sommer. In the smaller classes, there was the debut for two German teams, Adler and BMW. Often recently the preserve of small British sports cars, the list was notable for the number of small French cars, led by a squadron of Simca-Fiats, resembling an entry-list more akin to the first years of the race in the 1920s. The further penalising on supercharged engines meant there were only two such cars in the field this year, well down on the dozen or more typically seen in the earlier years of this decade.
Given the cancellation of the race in 1936, the Coupe Bienniale was instead drawn from the finishers of the previous 1935 race which still provided twelve entries returning for honours.
Category Entries Classes Large-sized engines 16 / 14 over 3-litre Medium-sized engines 16 / 13 1.5 to 3-litre Small-sized engines 24 / 22 up to 1.5-litre Total entrants 57 / 49 Note: The first number is the total entries, the second the number who started. Using the equivalent engine-size, with supercharged engines having the new x1.6 conversion factor
Over 2-litre entries
Automobiles Bugatti had struggled in Grand Prix racing, with their Type 59 proving unsuccessful. Under the new ACF regulations work had started on the new car soon after the 1936 race was cancelled. The Type 57 Grand Prix (later shortened to 57G) was developed from the Type 57S luxury tourer. The 3266cc racing engine put out 170 bhp with the main chassis members drilled out with holes to reduce weight. On the long back straight, it could reach almost 220 kp/h (135 mph). With a 130-litre fuel tank, over it all was a full-width streamlined magnesium-alloy body encompassing the wheels and giving it the nickname "tank". It was also fitted with hydraulic brakes and a 4-speed synchromesh gearbox.Spurring 2017, pp.232-3Laban 2001, p.84 It also had an extra headlight mounted on the right-hand side, ahead of the driver's door, to help spot the apex of the right-hand turns – particularly those of Tertre Rouge, Mulsanne and Arnage.Williams 2023, p.84 In the hands of Grand Prix driver Jean-Pierre Wimille and Raymond Sommer, it had proven successful in 1936, including winning the French Grand Prix.Clausager 1982, p.64 Meanwhile, Technical Director Jean Bugatti was also working on a 4.5-litre version and originally two of these Type 57S45 cars had been entered. However, time ran out to have them ready and so Bugatti stalwart Roger Labric entered two of the three Type 57Gs on behalf of Bugatti. For Wimille, the new French racing superstar, it was his first Le Mans and he was joined by Robert Benoist, a former works driver and current Competition Director, while voiturette driver Pierre Veyron raced with Labric himself, in the second car.Saward 2006, p.68 There were two other privateer models entered – a new Type 57 Sports for Frenchman Raymond d'Estrez Saugé, which he had fitted with a larger rear fuel-tank for the 3.3-litre car.Spurring 2017, p.272 René Kippeurt also returned with his 3-litre Type 44. Sometimes racing under the pseudonym "Rekip", this year he had modified the bodywork of his tourer.Spurring 2017, p.247
Delahaye had been convinced to come back to racing with the help of the wealthy American couple of Laury and Lucy Schell, resident in France. The ACF rules had produced the Type 135, and their money saw the development of the updated 135 CS, with a 170 bhp 3.6-litre Straight-6, and fitted with a semi-automatic gearbox.Williams 2023, p.86 The Schells purchased four cars and encouraged a number of their French racing friends to buy cars as well – many of whom then fitted personalised aluminium bodyshells.Spurring 2017, pp.236-7 Like Bugatti, a new model was being prepared. The Type 145 had a 4.5-litre V12, but not being fully ready it was the 135 CS cars that were entered. Although not as fast as the Bugatti or Talbot, they did have a proven reliability. Seven were entered for Le Mans. The Schell's Écurie Bleue had two cars with factory support. Laury Schell was partnered by René Carrière (a pair who had recently finished third in the Mille Miglia), and Grand Prix racer René Dreyfus raced with the experienced Henri Stoffel, who had finished second in 1931 and 1935. Parisian cinema-owner Joseph Paul and Eugène Chaboud had already had success in local French races, while former boxer Louis Villeneuve, Robert Brunet and Paul Bénazet were regular gentleman-racers.
The Alfa Romeo 8C had been the car to beat in the 1930s races, yet this year there was only a single entry. Ferrari had provisionally entered three cars, but when Alfa Romeo bought out an 80% share of the Scuderia early in the year, their Chairman Ugo Gobbato chose to withdraw their cars. So, the only Alfa presence was entered by Raymond Sommer. The Alfa Romeo 8C-2900 had been specifically designed for the Mille Miglia, the premier Italian sports-car race. The shorter wheelbase and supercharged 3-litre engine were well-suited to the long straights and tight town-corners in Sicily. Scuderia Ferrari had won there in 1936 and 1937, along with the Spa 24 Hours. The twin-supercharged 8-cylinder engine put out 220 bhp.Spurring 2017, pp.253-4 A brand new car, painted black, was built at Portello for Sommer and driven straight to Le Mans by his prospective co-driver Giovanni Battista Guidotti, the Alfa engineer who had supervised the cars preparation. They would be supported by Meo Costantini as pit manager, who was sporting director at Alfa Romeo and former Bugatti team manager.
Delage had been very successful in Grand Prix racing in the 1920s, duelling with Bugatti. However, the company had gone into receivership after the Great Depression, to be purchased by British expat Walter Watney. He arranged a deal with Delahaye to have Delage cars built at their factory with Delahaye parts.Spurring 2017, pp.246-7 Meanwhile Louis Delâge, still kept on as a director, developed the D6 coupé. The elegant D6-70 was a new version with a special 3-litre engine. Producing 130 bhp, it was capable of getting the car up to 160 kp/h (100 mph). A 1936 entry was filed by the works team, but this year a car was entered by the Société R.V. – a company co-owned by Parisian Delage agent Jacques de Valence de Minardière, who was also its lead driver. This car had recently been bought by slot-machine magnate Louis Gérard, who had never raced before, but would be the co-driver.