Its story is all thanks to one passionate Porsche enthusiast.
The Porsche 356 SL that won Le Mans for the company all the way back in 1951 has made the long journey back to La Sarthe ending a years-long project of passion and perseverance from one enterprising American. 72-year-old Cameron Healy took it upon himself after purchasing the vehicle from the previous owner's estate in 2009. The vehicle had been presumed lost to history until Healy was able to prove its authenticity, setting about a series of events that would see it return once again to the historic race for its centenary celebration.
This 356 SL was actually a Gmund model even though it was made in Stuttgart after that brand moved back to Germany from Austria. Officially dubbed a 356/2, when Porsche wanted to enter Le Mans, it used one of the older, aluminum bodies to create the race car due to the weight savings and better torsional rigidity; with each one having been hand molded using the original 356 wooden skeleton.
The vehicle received extensive modifications to the body and the air-cooled four-cylinder engine before being driven by technicians to the race and given the chassis number 063 (056). Piloted by Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche, the car lined up 45th on the grid. Over the race, it reportedly performed flawlessly for the team even through unsavory rainy conditions, finishing 20th overall but more importantly, winning its 751-1100cc class. This win cemented its place in motorsports history and Porche's position as a serious performance automaker from that point onwards.
So, how on earth does a car as famous as this end up halfway across the world? Well, after a very successful year of racing throughout Europe, the model was sold to John von Neumann of California who became the brand's West Coast distributor. Unfortunately, von Neumann decided to cut the roof off of the vehicle and had it repaired and repainted red, eradicating the vehicle's esteemed history.
After it was sold, it ended up in the hands of Chuck Forge, who owned it for many years before bringing it to an event in northern California where Healy first laid eyes on it. “It started in 1993 at what back then was called the Monterey Historic races,” Healy says. “This little red roadster stopped me in my tracks. I'd never seen a Gmund car before, let alone a roadster, and I didn't know its background.”
Fast forward, Healy finally owns the vehicle, and with the help of his friend and 356 expert Rod Emery, spent the next five years researching until they were able to prove without a doubt the vehicle was indeed chassis 356/2-063. From there, a full restoration was undergone to make sure the vehicle looked exactly as it did when it crossed the finish line all those years ago.
Throughout the project, Healy knew he wanted to one day bring the vehicle back to Le Mans, and the 100th anniversary of the race and the 75th anniversary of Porche in 2023 felt like the perfect time to do it. So earlier this year the vehicle was shipped to Europe where it spent time on display at the Porsche Museum allowing Healy to research the exact route the vehicle took from Stuttgart to La Sarthe all those years ago.
Using an old itinerary Porsche was able to come up with and an old 1950s road map, Healy set about retracing the exact route in the car, spending days driving from town to town. Finally, he said, “It felt very meaningful to arrive at Le Mans,” where the car was taken to the famous garage on ‘Rue du 8 Mai’ that Porsche used as its headquarters for decades before being taken to the museum where it sits in a special exhibition of 80 overall and class winners from the past 100 years.
Porsche couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate the brand's first motorsport victory all those years ago. The 356 is a legend on its own, but 063 may be the best of them all. Maybe Porsche could take some inspiration from the model and offer a livery like it on the 911 or Cayman?
Even better, the company should build a few of the Vision 357 concepts in a similar SL fashion to really commemorate the icon. If you want to get a better look at the vehicle this weekend, it will be driving a special parade lap before the race with Healy behind the wheel, finally coming full circle.
Keyword: First-Ever Porshe Le Mans Winner Returns Home After 72 Years