1952 24 Hours of Le Mans

1952 24 Hours of Le Mans
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Le Mans in 1952
The race was won by a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL W194, similar to the car pictured above.

The 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 20th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 14–15 June 1952 at Circuit de la Sarthe.

After 22 years away, Mercedes-Benz returned in triumph, scoring a 1–2 victory with their new gull-wing Mercedes-Benz W194 which was equipped with a 3.0L S6 engine that had less power than the road car sold two years later.

Aston Martin, with their DB3, joined Ferrari, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Cunningham in the top-level sports prototype game, setting the stage for the rivalries that provided so much drama during the rest of the decade.

This race was notable in that Pierre Levegh attempted to drive the entire 24 Hours by himself – and almost won. With just over an hour to go however, the connecting rod of Levegh's car broke, taking it out of the race.