We would like to thank Vladimir Kovalenko, Vlad Shaikhnurov, and Oleg Sidorov for their assistance in collecting this material.
Teloché is a small town, founded in 832, located 15 km south of Le Mans and 3 km south of Mulsanne. Its main landmark is the Church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Épine, which forms the center of the town.
View of Notre-Dame-de-l’Épine. Photo from the early 20th century.
This quiet and peaceful location was chosen by the Porsche team for its debut at the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the time, the track’s pits didn’t offer comfortable accommodations for the teams. In fact, they could only be used for quick repairs during practice and the race, with no ability to roll the car inside.
Therefore, the majority of the teams’ bases were located in nearby towns—Le Mans, Mulsanne. From there, the cars would travel to the track, and after the races, they would return on public roads for an overnight stay or for major repairs.
Porsche wanted to remain discreet, but at the same time, the team’s location shouldn’t be too far removed from the track and pits. Teloché suited these conditions perfectly.
At 21 Rue du 8 Mai, near the intersection with Rue de Bel Air, the Porsche team rented a hangar and a small open area next to it. This location became the team’s headquarters for the next 30 years.
View of the city center along Rue du 8 Mai. The first house on the right is the hangar. This photo was taken between the world wars.
A view from the city center along Rue du 8 Mai, crossing Rue de Bel Air. The hangar is still missing. Instead, there’s a vacant lot (to the left, behind the first building). Photo from the early 20th century.
View of Notre-Dame-de-l’Épine from Rue du 8 Mai. Photo from the early 20th century.
1951
#46 Porsche 356 SL (Auguste Veuillet/Edmond Mouche), chassis 063 (20th place overall and 1st place in the under-1100 cc class) and #47 Porsche 356 SL (Rudolph Sauerwein/Robert Brunet), chassis 054. Due to an accident in practice, #47 was not repaired for the race and did not take part. This suggests that this photo was taken early in practice.
1952
On the left in the frame is the #51 Porsche 356 SL (Huschke von Hanstein/Petermax Müller), a breakdown, gearbox; on the right is the #47 Porsche 356 SL (Eugéne Martin/Auguste Lachaize), a breakdown, accident. At the bottom of the picture is the #50 Porsche 356 SL (Auguste Veuillet/Edmond Mouche), 11th place overall and 1st place in the up to 1100 cc class.
The photo was taken from the Rue du 8 Mai. On the left is the garage wall. From left to right: No. 51 Porsche 356 SL (Huschke von Hanstein/Petermax Müller) – retirement, gearbox, No. 47 Porsche 356 SL (Eugéne Martin/Auguste Lachaize) – retirement, accident, No. 50 Porsche 356 SL (Auguste Veuillet/Edmond Mouche) – 11th place overall and 1st place in the under 1100 cc class. Bruno Trostmann is standing by the door.
After arrival. The numbers haven’t been applied yet. On the left in the frame is the #51 Porsche 356 SL (Huschke von Hanstein/Petermax Müller), which has had a breakdown, gearbox, and on the right is the #47 Porsche 356 SL (Eugéne Martin/Auguste Lachaize), which has had a breakdown, accident.
1953
The photo was taken along Rue du 8 Mai, heading out of town. Garage is out of frame to the left. No. 45 Porsche 550 Coupe (Richard von Frankenberg/Paul Frère), chassis 02 (15th place overall, 1st place in the 1500 cc class).
1954
#47 Porsche 550 1100 (Zora Arkus Duntov/Gonzague Olivier) chassis 13 (14th place overall and 1st place in the up to 1100 cc class), #41 (without white circle) Porsche 550 1500 RS — reserve, training chassis 08, #41 Porsche 550 1500 RS (Hans Herrmann/Helmut Polensky) chassis 11 (retirement, engine failure), #39 Porsche 550 1500 RS (Johnny Claes/Pierre Stasse) chassis 12 (12th place overall and 1st in the 1101 to 1500 cc class), #40 Porsche 550 1500 RS (Richard von Frankenberg/Helmut Glöckler) chassis 10 (misalignment, engine failure)
