While the festival starts tonight for professionals (tomorrow for the general public) at the Porte de Versailles (Paris), the ‘Automobile Club de l’Ouest’ (ACO) was able to celebrate the 100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans yesterday evening in Paris, with a procession of legendary vehicles including the hydrogen-powered car MissionH24.

These vehicles are symbols of the past, present and future of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They were driven through Paris, escorted by motorcyclists of the ‘Garde Républicaine.’ The parade started at 10.40pm from the ‘Place de la Concorde’ and stopped first at the ‘Hôtel de la Monnaie’ (which is the creator of the trophy for the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours, which will take place on June 10 and 11), then at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. On board the hydrogen prototype was the Minister for Industry, Roland Lescure. A few minutes before the departure of the convoy he had been welcomed by Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO. This tall man of 1.90 m slipped into the bucket alongside the driver Stéphane Richelmi.

The Minister, which is passionate about technology (he was an École Polytechnique student), is above all the bearer of France’s technological and industrial strategy and projects. As such, he was able to see that the vehicle fulfils its promises. With MissionH24, the ‘Automobile Club de l’Ouest’ and GreenGT are preparing the arrival of hydrogen-powered vehicles at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the coming years in a category dedicated to them.

Otherwise, the car will be visible this very week at Rétromobile, as well as other models including a replica of the ‘Chenard-Walcker’ that won the first edition of the 24 Hours in 1923.

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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King