29/06/2025
Le Mans France 2025, 24 Heures du Simeone June 14-15, 2025
On Saturday June 14th, through Sunday the 15th, The Simeone Automotive Museum’s 24 Heures du Simeone, teaming with the ACO USA 24 Hours of Le Mans Watch Party was absolutely spectacular and certainly a well-deserved honor for the Simeone crew who worked so hard to put on such an encompassing show. Nothing short of being in Le Mans, France could equal the museum’s “Spirit of Competition”, the term that its founder (Dr. Frederick Simeone) Fred so embraced. The significance of a win at the Le Mans endurance race is huge as it (by today’s rules) involves more than one driver, a manufacturer’s machine which is potentially street legal, has the mechanical capability of being driven at its limit for 24 hours, and a team that works around the clock to keep the machine at its peak. The other two races that are part of the Triple Crown of Motorsports are the Indianapolis 500, and the Monaco Grand Prix, both of which are completed in three hours or less and do not include driver changes.
Running an endurance team is complicated and demanding. The preparation for an endurance race requires extensive planning, which really put this year’s 24 Heures du Simeone in perspective as they prepped and organized over thirty machines for display and driving demonstrations, set up multiple video monitors, prepared a large hospitality area and created a simulated road course with a Dunlop bridge providing a realistic backdrop for the day and night driving demonstrations.
During the week the Simeone crew and its volunteers did so much behind the scenes work, wiring the monitors, fueling the machines, hanging lights, posters, setting up various displays, arranging a hospitality area, and preparing the main stage presentation area. However, much like an endurance race where teams must respond to the unexpected, about 3PM on Friday, the museum was stricken with an electrical gremlin as a third of the museum began to experience unusual system voltage issues. Museum technician extraordinaire Ed Tatios, with multi-meter in hand, pinned down a voltage drop in one of the museum’s main electrical panels which, a result of a PECO supply line issue. PECO responded and worked diligently, resolving the situation in about 6 hours. With the electrical issue resolved it’s now 9 PM Friday evening, just 12 hours before the museum was to opens its doors for the start of the event.
As participants arrived, they gathered around the monitors to enjoy the Le Mans pre-race activities with the 10 AM start (4 PM Le Mans time) less than an hour away as the ACO USA 24 Hours of Le Mans Watch Party provided the live feed of the Le Mans race, commercial free from start to finish. The museum was filled with enthusiasm as the two American Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Hypercars qualified one-two ahead of the Hypercars of #5 Porsche Penske, #15 BMW M Team WRT, #4 Porsche Penske, #20 BMW M Team WRT, #50 Ferrari AF Corse, #311 Cadillac Racing, #36 Alpine Endurance Team, #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing, #51 Ferrari AF Corse, #35 Alpine Endurance Team, and the #83 Ferrari AF Corse.
Lemans entries are limited to three classes, Hypercar, LMP2, and LMGT3. Hypercar is the fastest and the premier class. LMP2 is a prototype class for private teams and LMGT3 is a class based on production-based GT road going machines, such as the second place LMGT3 qualifier AWA (Andrew Wojteczko Autosport) Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The TF Sport (Tom Ferrier) Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3 qualified an impressive 6th and 16th.
At the start the competitors rushed away and within an hour the pack settled in to their race pace giving museum director Kevin Kelly the oppoprtunity to start the 24 Heures du Simeone scheduled 11AM introductory, “Race Strategy: Stirling Moss”, an opportunity to share a wealth of knowledge of the history and the culture of the Le Mans race, its drivers, their teams, the team’s machines and the significance of the museum’s collection as it pertains to Le Mans which led to the first live demonstration of the museum’s historic machines and set to continuing every two hours through the day and night until 10 PM when a celebration of Fred and his gift to Philadelphia and motorsports history, The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, was honored.
What better way to kick off 24 hours of live vehicle demonstrations than to bring out “the” legendary 1958 Team Aston Martin DBR1 “Chase Car” driven by Stirling Moss to set a swift pace, luring the other factory contenders of Ferrari and Alfa Romeo to tag along only to fall by the wayside with mechanical failures handing the 1959 Lemans victory to Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori in their Aston Martin DBR1. Accompanying the DBR1 were three legendary Jaguars, a 1953XK120 Fixed Head Coupe, a 1953 C-Type and a 1956 D-Type. The Jaguar D-Type was an engineering masterpiece , whose aerodynamics influenced by Malcolm Sayer following his work with Bristol Aeroplane and a powerful DOHC inline 6 cylinder engine gave a top speed of 172.8 mph on the Mulsanne straight bettering Ferrari by 12 mph, and the four-wheel disk brake system providing more assured braking than the Ferrari’s drum brakes.
Fred was an absolute sports car racing connoisseur, selecting machines with incredible provenance. His collection represents the highest technology of its day, illustrating his passion for the theme of the museum, the “Spirit of Competition”. Fred understood how sports car competition improved automotive technology and the machines he selected are the pinnacle of technology for their day. Le Mans is a test of a machine’s durability, performance and handling that required skillful drivers, with a large staff of engineers, mechanics, timers, and support crew.
The Simeone Automotive Museum has preserved the historic culture of Le Mans with its iconic collection of machines that include many that have participated in Le Mans. Not only does the museum host a collection of authentic machines, their library serves as a source to document their heritage. An example of that is the museum’s Delahaye 135S/175S which had several body and engine changes along with a suspension upgrade, but retains its authenticity by virtue of all upgrades being documented and done under the direction of the Bugatti factory. Fred’s insistence on originality is noted in what he has stated many times, as any machine is only original once, noting preserved patina is preferred over a restoration.
The machines mentioned in this event overview do not fully represent the collection and their impact of their preservation. Also, many other machines were demonstrated during the event, though some may not be mentioned. The ONLY way to truly appreciate this event is to attend! Each automobile in the collection is worthy of at least a chapter, if not a book regarding its significance and pedigree regarding automotive history. One car not featured in the 24 Hueres du Simeone, though an example is present in the museum, is the Bugatti Type 35, which dominated Grands Prix, hill climbs, and road rallies across the globe, claiming some 2,500 victories during its active period, but never achieved a victory in the Le Mans 24 Hour. Bugatti did ultimately win Le Mans two times with its aerodynamic “Tank”.
The very first Le Mans 24 Hour in 1923 was won by a French built Chenard-Walcker Type U3 15CV Sport, driven by André Lagache and René Léonard. From 1924 to 1934, Le Mans was dominated by Bentley, winning five times and Alfa Romeo winning four times in a row from1931 to 1934. A Lagonda M45R Rapide ended Alfa’s four year run in 1935. To commemorate this era, the Simeone staff performed a live demonstration of their 1927 Bentley 3 Litre, a 1929 Alfa Romeo.6C 1750 SS and a 1933 8C 2300 Le Mans.
With no race in 1936, Le Mans continued in 1937, won by the amazing Bugatti Type 57G "Tank", which also won in 1939. A Delahaye took the win in 1938. The significance of the Bugatti Type 57G "Tank" was its emphasis on aerodynamics, which not only increased its top speed, but also improved its fuel economy, requiring fewer pit stops. The Delahaye may have only won Le Mans once, in 1938, its strength was apparent with its reliability, typically finishing the races it entered, and a popular choice of drivers spanning from 1936 to 1951 excluding the war years of 1940 to 1948.
After 1948, the next 10 years of Le Mans featured a mix of winners as Ferrari, Talbot, Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin each won a race, although the Jaguar was the most dominant marque with its XK120C, C-Type, and the D-Type dominating for three straight years, 1955-57. The D-Type set new top speed records with its aerodynamic superiority, achieving a maximum speed of 172.8 mph on the Mulsanne Straight compared with the 4.9 litre Ferrari's 160.1 mph. A displacement rule change to 3.0 litres in 1958 ended the D-Type’s dominance. The 50’s ended with an impressive win by the Aston Martin DBR1, the machine which gave Carroll Shelby his Le Mans 24 Hour victory as was shown in the Ford v Ferrari movie.
The DBR1, powered by a (claimed) 300 hp 3.0-liter DOHC straight-six engine using a five-speed transaxle for weight balance, utilizes a beautiful tubular space frame chassis, and a lightweight aluminum body. Known for its good handling and a top speed of 175 mph on the Mulsanne straight, the Aston Martin’s finished 1-2 at Le Mans in 1959. The Simeone demonstrated racers of this era included the museum’s XK120, C and D-Type Jaguars, the 1959 Aston Martin DBR1, the 1952 Cunningham C-4R Roadster, a 1953 Austin-Healey 100-4, and a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.
Bring on the 60’s! The first 5 years of the 60’s, Ferrari dominated Le Mans and Henry Ford II sought to end that spree, as was acted out in the Ford v Ferrari movie. With Ford’s attempt to purchase Ferrari thwarted by its sale to Fiat, giving Enzo free reign to maintain his passion for racing the two industry icons, Henry Ford II versus Enzo Ferrari faced off at Le Mans garnering much attention. Ford was the newcomer taking on the proven winner, Ferrari. Ford’s first two entries in 1964 and 65 didn’t go well other than the 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe Cobra taking the Group III victory, Ford wanted the big prize, the overall victory in the Group 6 class. Ford fielded an eight car lineup in 1966, three cars prepared by Carroll Shelby’s Shelby American, three by John Holman of Holman and Moody and two by Alan Mann of Alan Mann Racing.
Ford accomplished its goal in 1966 as one by one the factory Ferraris couldn’t keep pace. None of Enzo’s Ferraris finished giving Ford a controversial 1,2,3 finish. The Ken Miles/Lloyd Ruby GT 40 should have been credited with the win, but a contrived finishing order for publicity gave the Bruce McLaren/Chris Amon machine the first-place honors via the Le Mans rule book.
In recognition of an American manufacturer’s first Le Mans victory, the 10 PM demonstration, termed “The Soul of the Race: Remembering Dr. Simeone”, the driving demonstration included three significant American Le Mans participants, the 1929 Stutz Model M Supercharged, the GTIII class winning 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, and the 1967 Ford GT MK IV. As these machines were demonstrated on “Le Circuit des 24 Heures du Simeone”, and driven through the illuminated Dunlop Bridge, enthusiasts had the opportunity to experience a delightful nighttime driving experience.
The last activity of the day (night), and much anticipated, the 11:00 PM “Lines of a Forgotten Contender” peaked everyone’s interest as the nighttime demonstration continued with the 1970 Le Mans second place finisher, the Martini Porsche 917L, the winner of The Index of Thermal Efficiency (ITE), and twenty years after its 2nd place finish was recognized as the "Le Mans Car of the Century" by the public. Thundering through the darkness as its fuel injected, air cooled, flat 12 cylinder engine electrified the enthusiasts’ spirits, it was followed by the 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Flying Lizard / Troy Lee Art Car, which was introduced to the collection at last year’s 24-Hour event.
As a light drizzle added to the ambience of the du Simeone experience, the new addition to the museum was introduced as Director Kevin Kelly paraded the machine around the “Le Circuit des 24 Heures du Simeone” with its running lights on, the machine brought on its own heritage, as it was parked front and center for all to admire. The introduction began with an overview of its endurance significance, as it was the winner of the first Sebring 12 Hour, held in 1952! “The” 1952 Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica driven by Harry Grey and Larry Kulok now has a new home. One could only imagine Fred smiling proudly for the museum’s new addition. From its center stage introduction, the Frazer Nash was promptly started and paraded into the museum where it was parked and carefully wiped dry by the Simeone volunteers, allowing those in attendance a close up view of the well-preserved vintage machine.
As the night wound down, the 917LH was driven to its front stage position. Its boot and bonnet were raised to allow a view of the impressive flat twelve cylinder, turbocharged, air-cooled engine that powered the machine to 254 mph down the Mulsanne straight. Ed Tatios was kind enough to sit alongside the iconic machine and field questions.
With the engines in the museum now at rest the focus shifted to the monitors to see what was happening 3,634 miles away in Le Mans France. With a time difference of 6 hours, it was early morning at Le mans. The night took its toll on several teams, including the VR46 BMW of ex MotoGP world motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi, whose team had been leading the LMGT3 class. Several teams suffered wheel mounting errors causing one of them to lose 7 laps for repairs, the other retired as the battle up front was dominated by three Ferraris running 1-2-3, and a Penske Porsche nibbling at their tailpipes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans Full race coverage
The demonstrations were over for the night but the 1958 Aston Martin DBR1 alarm clock was fuel up and ready to go for its 6 AM awakening. Another machine with Le Mans provenance, serving as the Aston Martin team “chase car”, with a special built engine to set a rapid pace, luring the competitors to push their machine’s limits while the DBR1 driven by Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby could settle into a pace that would preserve its reliability and a 24-hour victory.
At 6AM the twin cam six cylinder engine of the green 1958 Aston Martin DBR1 roared to life, its open header exhaust note serving as everyone’s wakeup call that the Circuit de Simeone demonstrations were ready to continue as 3,634 miles away in Le Mans, it was now 12 Noon, with 4 hours remaining in the race as the number 6 Penske Porsche on the move, gaining on the leading Ferraris.
Two hours later, at 8 AM, the next round of Simeone demonstrations included the 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans, the 1927 Bentley3 Litre Speed Model and a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS. As previously stated, these machines were the premier vehicles of their day. From 1924 to 1934, Le Mans was dominated by Bentley, winning five times and Alfa Romeo winning four times in a row from1931 to 1934.
Meanwhile at Lemans it was 2 PM and the excitement was building, as the Ferraris and the lone Penske Porsche were positioned for the victory now just two hours away. Following another full course yellow caused by a wheel nut failure on the third in class LMP2 number 28 IDEC Sport LMP2, pit strategy among the first four teams became a chess game that involved driver selection, fuel and tyre decisions. The lead car, an independent Ferrari entered by Amato Ferrari, AF Course (no relation to Enzo) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AF_Corse decided to keep Robert Kubica, who had driven the previous two hours, remained in the lead, while the fourth place Penske Porsche decided to pit to and allow Matt Campbell to continue pushing hard. Setting a torrid pace Matt worked his way past the two factory Ferraris into P2. In their second to last pit stop, Team Penske decided not to change tyres to save time.
The Penske Porsche continued to whittle down the gap behind the AF Course Ferrari and in its last pit stop only took on left side tyres and put Kévin Estre, behind the wheel. As the checkered flag waved the valiant Penske Porsche effort fell a mere 14 seconds short of the victory, as Robert Kubica, driving the final four hours of the AF Course number 83 Ferrari took the dramatic win. To put this in perspective, 24 hours is 1,440 seconds, finishing second by 14 seconds gives thought to where, during the race, could 14 seconds be saved?
Following the superb, live coverage by the ACO USA 24 Hours of Le Mans Watch Party, and the incredible presentations and sports car demonstrations, the last presentation of the day, titled “The Checkered Flag: Jacky Ickx” was held honoring his remarkable career, having won the 24 Hour of Le Mans six times, spanning from entries almost every year between 1966 to 1985. Jacky was adamant about track safety, and the dangers of the Le Mans included the long Mulsanne straight, the lack of guard rails and a start where drivers run to their cars, hop in and take off, supposedly fastening their safety belts, but in their haste rarely fastened them until the long, fast, Mulsanne straight.
To emphasize this potentially dangerous situation, in 1969, at the drop of the starter’s flag, Jacky safely walked steadily across the track to his Ford GT40, then took the time to properly fasten his safety harness, starting last in the race, he ultimately won. His demonstration led to the Le Mans start being dropped from future Le Mans races. His career in motorsports began at an early age on motorcycles and spanned CAN AM, Rally Car, F2, F1, Le Mans, Endurance Racing, and World Sports Car. His contributions to track safety have led to many improvements and saved lives. A more in-depth article can be viewed here, https://en.onul.works/w/Jacky_Ickx .
The 10AM driving demonstration included two of the museum’s machines that once competed at Le Mans, the 1966 Ford GT 40 MKII and the 1970 Porsche 917L, two machines with a distinct exhaust note, the deep growl of the American V8 and the roar of the 12 cylinder, horizontally opposed supercharged, air-cooled Porsche.
As the 24 24 Heures du Simeone wrapped up with its closing act, “The Heroes of Le Mans Part II”, much like the traditional celebration, a champagne toast was held, as everyone held their cups high and shared a phenomenal cheer to Fred, the Ferrari victory, the museum’s staff and to one another for the shared experience as the commemorative 24 Hour patches were handed out to all those who attended the duration of the event. As a tribute to Ferrari’s victory one of the museum’s Ferraris was paraded on Le Circuit des 24 Heures du Simeone, taking the checkered flag as it passed through the Dunlop Bridge. As it drove to center stage and parked, the museum presented the winner’s wreath to the Simeone staff member Gustav who received a celebratory champagne victory spray.
A great way to close a weekend full of Le Mans history, heritage and a driving demonstration 30 machines with Le Mans culture, a feat like no other automotive museum. If you missed this spectacular event the good news is that there is now plenty of time to plan for next year, June 14th and 15th 2026! https://www.24h-lemans.com/en 2026 program.
Le Mans winners https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans_winners
