24 Hours of Le Mans Posters and Memorabilia Shop

Here we have a VERY special 1956 Le Mans program...

Apart from being quite a rarity in its own right, this one was signed on the cover by racing greats Peter Collins and Ken Wharton!

Peter Collins (1931 - 1958) was teamed up with Sterling Moss and the duo drove their Ecurie Ecosse entered Aston-Martin DB3 S to a second place overall, a mere 1 lap behind the winning Jaguar D-Type of Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson.
Peter signed the cover in pencil.

Ken Wharton (1916 - 1957) was teamed up with Jack Fairman in a works Jaguar D-Type but unfortunately, he never got to drive it in the race as Jack crashed the car already in lap 3...
Ken signed the cover in blue ballpoint.

Neither of these two men would survive this race for more than 2,5 years and both would get killed in a Ferrari...

The booklet measures some 13 x 23.5 cm and contains 188 pages filled to the brim with information of the cars, the drivers, previous editions of the race, the track and of course great contemporary advertising.

It does have a fair amount of wear and tear, as can be seen in the photos, and yes, it would have been a lot more expensive if it was in mint condition...

The race was won by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson in their Jaguar D-Type with a total of 300 laps to their name.

For the full results of this race, please see 24 Heures du Mans results 1956.

Only 1 available and we will of course guantee the authenticity of these autographs for life.

Very good condition for its age.

The booklet measures some 10.5 x 25 cm and contains 188 pages filled to the brim with information of the cars, the drivers, previous editions of the race, the track and of course great contemporary advertising.

The race was won by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson in their Jaguar D-Type with a total of 300 laps to their name.

For the full results of this race, please see 24 Heures du Mans results 1956.

Only 1 available.

These "Lap Timing Sheets" were sold separately at the racetrack as an addition to the program booklet and could be used to keep track of the positions of the individual cars during the race.

This particular one is in more than excellent condition with only some minor scribbling on it in green byro as visible in the photos.

It is the elaborate version which folds out to 4 times the original width.

Very scarce as most of them were tossed away after the race or disappeared into the mists of time.

This is a vintage 1956 photo of the night qualifying session for the 1956 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It was taken during the night with a long exposure time to create a fantastically atmospheric image.

It is an official Associated Press photo and carries a caption on the back (see photo) which, loosely, translates as follows:

>>>
The already qualified competitors for the 24 Heures have done tests on the track this night from 21.00H until 02.00H.
It was Briton Mike Hawthorn who set the quickest time with his 3.5 Liter Jaguar. he set a time of 4'23"7/10 (with an average of 183km769), followed by Jack fairman, 4'26"3/10 (with an average of 181KM974).
Seen here is the track during the tests. 40.000 spectators attended the session.
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Please note that A.P. got the date wrong... this was on the 26th of June, 1956... NOT of the 26th of July, as noted on the caption paper (26/7/56)!

A great memento of a great race!

The photo measures some 18 x 13 cm or 7 x 5 inches.

The race was won by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson in their Jaguar D-Type with a total of 300 laps to their name.

For the full results of this race, please see 24 Heures du Mans results 1956.

Only 1 available.

This is a vintage 1956 photo of the start of the 1956 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It was taken only a fraction of a second after the flag dropped and the drivers are running across the track towards their cars which, in those years, were lined up in front of the pits boxes.

Clearly visible are the first 6 cars which are:

1. Factory Jaguar D-Type of Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb - 6th overall with 280 laps
2. Factory Jaguar D-Type of Paul Frere and Desmond Titterington - DNF - Crash in lap 2
3. Factory Jaguar D-Type of Jack Fairman and Ken Wharton - DNF - Crash in lap 3
4. Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type of Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson - RACE WINNERS with 300 laps!
5. Equipe Nationale Belge Jaguar D-Type of Jacques Swaters and Freddy Rousselle - 4th overall with 284 laps
6. Private Jaguar XK-140 of Robert Walshaw and Peter Bolton - Disqualified after 209 laps due to illegal refuelling

A great memento of a great race!

The photo measures some 14 x 9 cm or 4.5 x 3.5 inches.

The back carries the copyright holder's stamp.

For the full results of this race, please see 24 Heures du Mans results 1956.

Only 1 available.