Ferrari 512S

This gorgeous 1970 sports car was Ferrari’s hastily cobbled-together response to the Porsche 917, and the two cars’ battles on the track — made famous by Steve McQueen’s Le Mans movie — have passed into racing folklore. The truth is that the V12-engined Ferrari was heavier and less powerful than the Porsche and never beat it in a straight fight, but it could at least claim the aesthetic victory, as it was even better to look at and listen to than the 917.

Star fact The 512S destroyed in the Le Mans movie is actually a cheaper, radio-controlled Lola wearing bodywork to mimic the Ferrari. On the set of the film it was known as the Lolari.

Jaguar D-type

Perhaps Britain’s most beautiful sports racing car and certainly one of the most successful, Jaguar’s D-type won the Le Mans 24 Hours race three times in a row in 1955-57. Using aircraft technology to give it an unprecedented level of aerodynamic efficiency, it beat more powerful cars by being easier to drive, more reliable and faster thanks to its slippery shape. The D-type appearing at the festival this year is Jaguar’s own museum car, a 1956 model raced at Le Mans by the British driver Mike Hawthorn.

Star fact The D-types used to be driven from the Jaguar factory at Coventry down to Le Mans, raced and then driven home again.

Lola-Aston Martin LMP1

Aston Martin hasn’t competed for overall victory at Le Mans for 20 years (although it won its class in the lower categories in 2007 and 2008 with the DBR9). This year it is going for the ultimate title with this LMP1, and by 2pm today we will know whether it has succeeded. The only question is whether it is a true Aston Martin: apart from the 6-litre V12 engine, Lola Cars designed, engineered and built the vehicle.

Star fact This is not the first Aston-powered Lola. One entered Le Mans in 1967, driven by John Surtees, but failed to finish.

Brawn BGP001

When the definitive history of F1 is written, a chapter will be called The Fairy Tale. It will recount how a team was pulled from the grave and turned into the greatest giant-killing act since David felled Goliath. With Mercedes engines, a master strategist in Ross Brawn and Jenson Button behind the wheel, the BGP001 has dominated the start of the 2009 F1 season like few cars before it, let alone one from a fledgling team.

Star fact Unlike the cars of big teams such as Ferrari and McLaren, the Brawn does not have the Kers power boost system.

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