1952 24 Hours of Le Mans
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.
Finally, after 19 runs of the event, the prize money (FF 1 500 000) for the race-winner was raised to make it the same as that for the Index of Performance winner[1] – just reflecting the stature that the teams and spectators had always placed on the overall race win.
Mercedes, led again by their pre-war team manager Alfred Neubauer arrived with a trio of W194 prototypes of what was to become the iconic '300SL' (Sport Leicht).
Having been beaten for speed by the new Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz in the Mille Miglia, the C-types were hurriedly redesigned with a more aerodynamic shell, which unfortunately meant a smaller radiator[3][4] and a relocated header tank.
[6] Talbot was the last of the old French manufacturers remaining in the large-engine classes with four privately entered T-26 cars (with strong support from the factory), now with the required new enclosed bodywork.
[7] Gordini, having gone their separate ways from Simca, were now powered with their own engines: a smaller team with the standard 1100cc car, and a special 2.3L version for its regular GP drivers, Jean Behra and Robert Manzon, which was very nimble.
Another pre-war veteran, Luigi Fagioli, was to have driven (after scoring a 3rd place in the Mille Miglia) but had been critically injured at the same Monaco GP that Ferrari had won and could not compete.
Another future Italian stalwart of the race made its debut this year: OSCA had been set up by the three Maserati brothers after selling their namesake company, and arrived with their first sports car, the MT-4.
[10] Potential works entries from Alfa Romeo (for Juan-Manuel Fangio and José Froilán González) and Pegaso were scratched amid concerns about the cars being able to last the distance.
And the fastest lap in practice at 4m40s, just a tenth ahead of Ascari's Ferrari,[2] with both fully 20 seconds faster than the ‘official' time of the Cunningham in 1951.
[11][16][17] Ascari soon got to the front and between him and Simon they took turnabout lowering Stirling Moss's lap record – eventually setting it six seconds faster than the previous year.
[17] Phil Walters had kept the Cunningham coupé in close reach, and after 4 hours handed the car over to his co-driver Duane Carter who promptly planted it into the sandbank at Tertre Rouge on his second lap out.
[11][18][19] This left "Levegh" sitting four laps ahead of the two Mercedes-Benzes of Helfrich / Niedermeyer and Lang / Riess, followed by the Macklin / Collins Aston Martin.
[8][23] After successive second places in the previous years, luck ran out for Mairesse / Meyrat when their (aging) Talbot's oil pump expired around half-time.
Meanwhile, in the S2.0 class, the Lancias had been running 1-2 for most of the race ahead of the Frazer-Nash's Dawn was masked by a heavy fog, which got so thick the Mercedes drivers had to open their gull-wing doors to be able to see.
[11] It also caused Alexis Constantin to crash and roll his supercharged Peugeot at Tertre Rouge barely missing Jack Fairman's Allard.
The other Allard had an equally hairy moment soon after when Arkus-Duntov found himself with no brakes at the end of the Mulsanne straight taking to the escape road, scattering spectators and gendarmes and narrowly avoiding parked cars.
Late in the morning the leading Frazer-Nash of "Dickie" Stoop / Peter Wilson broke a halfshaft and retired, leaving the Lancias comfortably in front.
But then suddenly, with just over an hour to go, the connecting rod of "Levegh's" Talbot broke, causing it to come to a halt at Maison Blanche about a mile from the pits.
A final twist saw the Aston Martin retire, moving the Nash-Healey of Johnson/Wisdom up to 3rd ahead of Briggs Cunningham's own car and the recovering Ferrari of Simon / Vincent.
[22] Gordini had its biggest success two weeks after Le Mans in Formula 2, when Jean Behra beat the Ferrari 500s in the final Grand Prix de la Marne[19]
