Three all-new Porsche v Ferrari blockbusters

Next year, Porsche and Ferrari will renew a battle that was immortalized by Hollywood in the feature film Le Mans.

Steve McQueen starred in his homage to the 1970 race that cost him much of his fortune, his marriage and his passion for the sport, but he clearly felt compelled to tell the story of two automotive giants going toe-to-toe on one of the greatest competitive stages on earth.

#5 SpA Ferrari SEFAC, Ferrari 512 S: Jacky Ickx, Peter Schetty leads #22 J.W. Automotive Engineering Ltd, Porsche 917 K – Porsche 912: David Hobbs, Mike Hailwood

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

#11 North American Racing Team, Ferrari 512 S: Ronnie Bucknum, Sam Posey passes #22 J.W. Automotive Engineering Ltd, Porsche 917 K – Porsche 912: David Hobbs, Mike Hailwood

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

In 2023, the centenary Le Mans 24 Hours will star brand new prototypes from Porsche and Ferrari as they again contend for overall victory.

Porsche has recruited America’s gold-standard race team – Team Penske – to run its 963 LMDh that aims to recreate the glory days of the 917 that McQueen so idolized. Ferrari will be an all-Italian affair, with its factory team AF Corse bringing a Hypercar to the party.

Who will prevail? The Teutonic Germans with their American partners and the sensibly cost-controlled LMP2-based chassis, or the Scuderia with its Italian flair and insistence on taking the Hypercar route because it offers more engineering flexibility?

Porsche 963 LMDh

Photo by: Porsche

Ferrari LMH

Photo by: Ferrari

Porsche has 19 overall Le Mans 24 Hours victories to its name, while Ferrari lags behind with nine – but hasn’t officially contested it as a factory entry in the top class for 50 years (last win: 1965). Porsche’s most recent triumph there was 2017, the third in a hat-trick of successes with its sensational 919 Hybrid.

If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, their battle is going to escalate on to the biggest motorsports platform of all: Formula 1.

Porsche F1 car render

Photo by: Camille Debastiani

While Porsche’s bid to partner with Red Bull in 2026 – in planned a 50% buy-in for 10 years – has fallen by the wayside, don’t expect it to give up on returning to the pinnacle of the sport. “The racing series nevertheless remains an attractive environment for Porsche, which will continue to be monitored,” is the official line.

There it will find Ferrari, the…