Skoda has shared footage from the recent Le Mans Classic race, its first comeback to Circuit de la Sarthe in 72 years.
Back in 1950, the Czech automaker brought two speedsters based on the road-legal 1101 Tudor to the start line. This time around, it only prepared one car that reportedly took six years to build. Called the Skoda Sport, it packed a small 1.1-liter engine.
In the race that took place in the middle of the 20th century, the Skoda car had 56 PS (55 hp / 41 kW) at its disposal and looked fit to climb the pedestal at first, but had to abandon the race due to a critical failure. Rewind to current time, and the tiny speedster managed to make it to the finish line without incident. Unfortunately, it came 43rd out of 74 in the final ranking adjusted for horsepower and weight.
The current Le Mans Classic race regulations differ significantly from those adopted by the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The crews still get to drive in shifts, and the night stage is still included, but the total racing time has been shortened.