Which company withdrew its remaining cars after the 1955 Le Mans disaster?

Mercedes-Benz withdrew its remaining cars after the 1955 Le Mans disaster.

The withdrawal followed a catastrophic crash involving Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh and Lance Macklin’s Austin-Healey. Debris from Levegh’s Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR struck spectators, killing more than 80 people and making the event the darkest moment in racing history.

Mercedes team manager Alfred Neubauer and driver John Fitch supported stopping the team’s participation. After company directors approved the decision by telephone from Stuttgart, the remaining Mercedes cars were called into the pits shortly before 1:45 a.m., several hours after the crash.

The race itself continued, and Jaguar’s Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb won after Mercedes withdrew. Mercedes-Benz later completed the 1955 sports-car season but then left motorsport, not returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans until 1988 as a works competitor.