Which manufacturer won the first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923?

Chenard & Walcker won the first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923. The winning car was a Chenard-Walcker Type U3 15CV Sport, driven by André Lagache and René Léonard, which completed 128 laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The inaugural race was held on 26–27 May 1923 and established the endurance format that made Le Mans famous: speed mattered, but so did reliability, fuel economy, and the ability to keep running through a full day and night. Chenard-Walcker also finished second with another Type U3, giving the French manufacturer a one-two result.

The name is often written as either “Chenard & Walcker” or “Chenard-Walcker”; both refer to the same French marque founded by Ernest Chenard and Henri Walcker. Bentley, another early Le Mans powerhouse, finished fourth in the first race, but did not win the inaugural event. Chenard-Walcker’s victory remains its defining achievement before the company disappeared as an automobile brand in the 1940s.