The 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 15th Grand Prix of Endurance. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe on 18 and 19 June 1938. The race was won by Frenchmen Eugène Chaboud and Jean Trémoulet in their privately-entered Delahaye 135 CS, in what was an ordeal of endurance with only 15 of the 42 starters reaching the finish.
The race had started as a contest between the 4.5-litre Delahayes and Talbots (built to the French GP formula) and a streamlined Alfa Romeo 3-litre coupé, all driven by France's top drivers. Going into the evening, two-time winner Raymond Sommer and his Italian co-driver Clemente Biondetti steadily built a commanding lead in the Alfa Romeo as their rivals fell by the wayside. They led right through the night, and by dawn had a 6-lap lead, with half the field already out of the race. Then at 12.45p.m., Sommer had a front-tyre burst while he was at high speed on the long Hunaudières straight. He managed to get the car back to the pits, but the flailing rubber had damaged the bodywork, suspension and oil lines and despite repairs, came to a halt back out on the track. The lead fell to the Delahaye of Chaboud and Trémoulet who had been battling a troublesome gearbox most of the race, driving for over 20 hours only in top gear. However, they continued on their careful driving to win by two laps from another Delahaye with a standard Talbot saloon in third.
In the smaller classes, Amédée Gordini and José Scaron had amazed the crowd with the pace of their 1100cc SIMCA, running just outside the top-10 in the first half of the race, ahead of most of the bigger 2- and 1.5-litre cars. However, their engine seized approaching midday, that allowed the German Adler cars to come through and take a 1-2 result in the Biennial Cup. A consolation for Gordini was that one of his 570cc SIMCA Cinqs, the smallest cars in the field, convincingly won the Index of Performance prize.
Regulations and Organisation This year, the AIACR revised its Grand Prix regulations to be for 3.0-litre supercharged engines, or 4.5-litre normally-aspirated, and an updated scale of minimum weight based on engine-size. They also gave provision for 2-seater sports cars to compete. The ACO further penalised supercharged cars lifting the engine-equivalency from x1.6 to x1.65 (achieving their desired effect as only 3 such cars entered).Spurring 2017, p.280Bernard et al 2023, p.133
Once again, the target distances were modified upward, adding about half-dozen laps to the medium and large-engine classes, while the 750cc class was slightly reduced. Shell was the fuel supplier and four options were supplied: its standard petrol, “Super Shell” premium, 100% benzole and its ternary blend of the regular with benzole and ethanol. Most of the circuit was resurfaced before the race, and the track widened from the Arnage corner, through the Maison Blanche complex (site of the mass accident the previous year) to the pit straight.Williams 2023, p.93 Circles, with the car-numbers in them, were painted on the pit-straight opposite the starting points to hold over-eager drivers from jumping the flagfall. As usual, a range of dance bands, entertainments and food outlets were set up to serve the spectators giving the track a very festive midsummer atmosphere.Clarke 1998, p.161: Light Car Jun24 1938 New grandstands had been completed, as well as a dedicated tower for the timing officials.Williams 2023, p.92
Engine size 1937Minimum distance 1938Minimum distanceSpurring 2017, p.360 Average speed Equivalent laps 6000cc+ 205.2 laps 5000cc 202.1 laps 4000cc 197.7 laps 3000cc 190.6 laps 2000cc 177.9 laps 1500cc 166.8 laps 1100cc 152.8 laps 750cc 133.4 laps
Entries The Bugatti works team rested on its laurels this year and for the first time this decade there would be no Bugattis at Le Mans. Yet a strong entry list was received led by big, works-supported teams from Delahaye and Talbot built to the French sports-car Grand Prix regulations.Clausager 1982, p.66Laban 2001, p.86 Their main competition would come from Raymond Sommer's stylish Alfa Romeo coupé. Factory-supported entries also came in the smaller classes, from Adler, Peugeot and Fiat-SIMCA. After a record British turnout the previous year, there were only six cars entered from the UK and once again the French dominated the small-engine entry-list.Spurring 2017, p.279 From the 17 finishers in the 1937 race, there were a dozen cars eligible for the Coupe Biennial and, unusually, it included all the entries in the 2.0-litre class.Clarke 1998, p.160: Light Car Jun24 1938 And the impact of the tightening ACO rules was that there were only two supercharged entries this year (both being Alfa Romeos).
Category Entries Classes Large-sized engines 19 / 15 over 3-litre Medium-sized engines 7 / 7 1.5 to 3-litre Small-sized engines 24 / 20 up to 1.5-litre Total entrants 50 / 42 Note: The first number is the total entries, the second the number who started. Using the equivalent engine-size, with supercharged engines having the new x1.65 conversion factor
Over 2-litre entries
In the absence of the Bugatti team, the biggest cars in the field were the 4.5-litre Delahayes. The new Delahaye 145 had been developed for the French GP regulations. The V12 engine ran off three camshafts driving the two valves per cylinder. It generated 245 bhp through a 4-speed gearbox.Spurring 2017, pp.299-300 The two-seater chassis was dual-purpose for both grand prix and endurance racing. René Dreyfus had caused a sensation when he beat Rudolf Caracciola in the new Mercedes-Benz W154 in the first race of the new 4.5-litre formula, at Pau. Two were entered for the Écurie Bleue team of Laury and Lucy Schell with a strong driver line-up. Louis Chiron was brought in, to partner Dreyfus and veteran Albert Divo to race with Gianfranco Comotti.Clarke 1998, p.160: Light Car Jun24 1938 The team was supported by a half-dozen private entrants running the 135 Compétition with its 3.6-litre straight-6 engine. Joseph Paul had finished second in 1937 with Marcel Mongin and returned for the Coupe Bienniale entry. After an accident at Brooklands, Paul had his arm in plaster, so this year Robert Mazaud was brought in as Mongin's co-driver. Mazaud was having a strong opening season racing his own Delahaye having just finished second in the Belgian Grand Prix des Frontières before Le Mans. Eugène Chaboud had bought a new car for this race and once again raced with Jean Trémoulet. Former boxer Louis Villeneuve and Daniel Porthault both entered their cars and the other one was a less powerful 135 C for two of France’s most successful motorcyclists: Georges Monnaret and Roger Loyer. The sixth car, of Englishman John Snow, did not arrive.Spurring 2017, pp.282-3
The Alfa Romeo 8C had dominated the race in the 1930s. Originally starting with a 2.3-litre 8-cylinder engine, it had gradually been uprated, and the 2.9-litre version had won the Mille Miglia in 1936 and 1937. The company now looked to enhance its reputation further with the 8C-2900B - a prestigious convertible styled by Carrozzeria Touring for sale. The twin-supercharged DOHC 2.9-litre engine was based on that from the grand prix car detuned to put out 225 bhp.Spurring 2017, pp.285-6Williams 2023, p.91 On New Year's Day, chairman Ugo Gobbato reorganised and rebranded the Scuderia Ferrari as the Alfa Corse works team, still under the leadership of Enzo Ferrari. A full works effort running four of the 8C-2900B brought success again at the Mille Miglia in April against an international field including Delahaye and Talbot. Alfa Corse would not be at Le Mans, but a sleek coupé model was prepared for top French privateer, and two-time winner, Raymond Sommer. Built by Touring's patented Superleggera (“super-light”) method of thin tubes forming the structure and wrapped in thin aluminium panels with integral wheel fenders and a sloping rear cockpit. The streamlined shape meant the car could reach 220 km/h (135 mph) as well as helping to give better fuel efficiency. Alfa sent works driver Clemente Biondetti (the Mille Miglia winner) as a co-driver, along with an expert pit-crew.Spurring 2017, pp.285-6 Frenchman Marcel Horvilleur brought his new purchase, an older Alfa 8C Monza. This chassis had finished second in the 1933 Mille Miglia driven by Franco Cortese. The engine had been since upgraded with a bigger 2.7-litre supercharged engine.Spurring 2017, p.307
The introduction of the Talbot T150 Course had been underwhelming the previous year. A bigger effort was made this year, led by Le Mans 2-time winner Luigi Chinetti running virtually a works team under his own name. He brought four cars to the circuit. Two of them were the open-top T150 C, with Chinetti’s car equipped with the latest 4.5-litre Grand Prix engine. With his co-driver being rising French star Philippe Étancelin, they were a very strong combination. The second car was driven by works drivers René Le Bègue and René Carrière (who had raced it to fifth earlier in the year at the Mille Miglia).Spurring 2017, pp.295-6 They also entered two 4-litre Super Sports coupés, with elegant styling by the Parisian coachbuilding company Figoni et Falaschi. Their owners raced them with Chinetti’s crew: Jean Prenant had 53-year-old Talbot test-driver André Morel. Louis Rosier owned the other, a 32-year-old who ran a trucking-company. He had previously raced Alfa Romeos in hill-climb events, but this was his racing debut.Spurring 2017, p.297 The Chinetti team also supported two privateer entries. Le Bègue had sold his own T150C to all-round sportsman Pierre Bouillin. Now 33-years old, he had retired from playing tennis and ice hockey and had started racing a Bugatti in 1937, under the pseudonym “Levegh” – that his uncle has also used when racing at the turn of the century. On his behalf the car was entered and co-driven by the experienced Jean Trévoux. The other car had been crashed in the 1937 race and repaired, then on-sold to Norbert-Jean Mahé. He engaged two British drivers, Freddie Clifford and Thomas Alastair Sutherland Ogilvy (T.A.S.O.) Mathieson.
Once again, the 3-litre class had only two entries – both French cars. Slot-machine magnate Louis Gérard had debuted last year, and despite having never raced before, came away with the class victory and an impressive 4th overall in his Delage D6-70 coupé. He subsequently sold the heavy bodywork to purchase a new, open-top replacement from Figoni et Falaschi to mount onto the D6-70 chassis, weighing almost 200 kg less. He entered it again with the Société R.V. and once again got team co-owner, Jacques de Valence de Minardière, to drive with him.Spurring 2017, pp.304-5 The other entry was an Amilcar Pégase. The company had previously had much success in voiturette racing in the late 1920s, but reflecting the hard times, it was now co-owned by Hotchkiss, and the Pégase was the last model left in production. To save costs it had been fitted with a Delahaye 2.0-litre, but now for racing three were prepared with a new in-house engine, bored out to 2490cc with twin carburettors. Putting out 75 bhp, it could get up to 160 km/h (100 mph).Spurring 2017, p.308 One of the cars was owned by ‘’Madame’’ Fernande Roux, a good friend of Amilcar lead engineer Maurice Mestivier. Roux used it for rallying and entered the car for Le Mans with fellow female rally driver, Germaine Rouault as co-driver.Spurring 2017, p.308
1.1- to 2-litre entries