#0666 "Starting the Legend"

24H of Le Mans 1951

Porsche 356 45L #46
Drivers: Auguste Veuillet, Edmont Mouche
19th place overall, 1st place in S1.1

In 1951 Ferry Porsche decided to go to Le Mans. He knew that racing wins would be the best (and cheapest) way to advertise his sports cars. After a meeting with Charles Faroux, the race organizer, and Auguste Veuillet, a French Porsche dealer, two 356SLs were admitted in the 1100cc class. They were based on the ultra-lightweight aluminum vehicle bodies made in the old factory in Gmund, which featured aerodynamic wheel spats and larger fuel tanks. One car was badly damaged during the test drives. The car, driven by Auguste Veuillet and his friend Edmond Mouche, finished the 24-hour race in a bravura 20th place overall and first in its class. The French driver duo had raced together in the Delage in 1949 and they reunited in a Porsche in 1951, improving their result to 11th overall. There were other Le Mans appearances for Veuillet in a Porsche, in 1953 and 1955, and he was a test driver for Porsche in the mid 1960's. His Paris-based company Sonauto was the sole French dealer for Porsche. His co-driver, Edmond Mouche, from Étival-lès-le-Mans, has competed at Le Mans six times, but only saw the checkered flag in the two years he drove a Porsche.