Le Mans 1959: The Underdog Champion!

6825-31 Norwitch Drive,Philadelphia PA 19153

25 February, 2023

Description

The Simeone Museum is proud to present "Le Mans 1959: The Underdog Champion!" – a Demo Day event celebrating the unlikely and impressive victory by a relatively small and underfunded Aston Martin team. At the time, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was dominated by larger, highly-financed organizations  such as Ferrari and Jaguar, who had access to more advanced technology and greater resources. Despite this, Aston Martin managed to pull off a stunning upset victory at the 1959 race, with their DBR1 car piloted by drivers Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby. During the Demo Day, visitors will have the chance to see three of our most popular cars in action, learn from our team of experts about their design and engineering, and discover more about the intense competition and challenges of Le Mans during the late 1950s. Museum staff will also be available to answer questions and provide insights into the racing histories and legacies of these iconic vehicles. Featured exhibition cars will include.• 1956 Jaguar D-Type • 1958 Aston Martin DBR1 • 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa _____________________________________________________________________________ What are demo days at the Simeone Museum? Demo Days at the Simeone Museum are special events that showcase the museum's collection of historic race cars. During these events, visitors can watch as the cars are driven around the museum's track, and learn all about the history of the cars, the heros that made them famous, and the races that made them legends! These special events take place on select Saturdays throughout the year and offer a rare opportunity to watch a selection of rare and historic race cars in action. You can learn and see more here._____________________________________________________________________________ Our Demo Day schedule is as follows10:00 | Simeone Museum doors open to the public11:15 to 12:45 | Scrutineering technical presentation 12:00 to 12:30 | Visual presentation highlighting rare photos and videos from the Simeone Museum Library and Archives12:30 to 1:00 | Spirited driving demonstration of Demo Day cars1:00 to 2:00 | Visitors are able to inspect and photograph Demo Day cars up close while engaging in a question and answer session with Simeone Museum staff and volunteers