Horsepower Heritage

Racing's Darkest Day: The 1955 Le Mans Disaster


Listen Later

The "Golden Age of Auto Racing" began after World War II and lasted until the early Seventies. It's a period that is frequently romanticized. 

But that thin veneer was shattered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the afternoon of June 11, 1955, when a catastrophic collision caused the deaths of Mercedes-Benz driver Pierre Levegh and at least 83 spectators. Here's the story of that terrible day and its aftermath.

This episode was originally released in 2022 and is now updated and remastered.



SUPPORT THE POD:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage

SUBSCRIBE to Horsepower Heritage on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@horsepowerheritage

FIND US ON THE WEB:
https://www.horsepowerheritage.com

INSTAGRAM: @horsepowerheritage

HORSEPOWER HERITAGE is created, produced and hosted by Maurice Merrick.
Get in touch with Maurice:

https://horsepowerheritage.com/contact


Support the show

HELP us grow the audience! SHARE the Podcast with your friends!

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Horsepower HeritageBy Maurice Merrick

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

51 ratings


More shows like Horsepower Heritage

View all
Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,530 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,707 Listeners

The Smoking Tire by Zack Klapman, Matt Farah

The Smoking Tire

2,715 Listeners

The MuscleCar Place by Robert Kibbe

The MuscleCar Place

696 Listeners

The Grey Nato by James Stacey and Jason Heaton

The Grey Nato

825 Listeners

Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

Death, Sex & Money

7,710 Listeners

Quirks and Quarks by CBC

Quirks and Quarks

365 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

113,323 Listeners

Spike's Car Radio by Spike Feresten

Spike's Car Radio

1,183 Listeners

The Journal. by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

The Journal.

6,125 Listeners

Smith and Sniff by Jonny Smith and Richard Porter

Smith and Sniff

191 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,723 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,490 Listeners

Bring a Trailer Podcast by Bring a Trailer Auctions

Bring a Trailer Podcast

84 Listeners

The Carmudgeon Show by Hagerty Media

The Carmudgeon Show

332 Listeners