“After his career in Formula 1, Ickx shifted his focus to endurance races,” Porsche said. “In his first year at Porsche in 1976, he picked up three victories in the World Championship for Makes and four in the World Sportscar Championship. Ickx also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT40 in 1969 and repeated this triumph for Porsche in 1977, 1981 and 1982. The race in June 1977 not only saw him mount one of the best recoveries from a trailing position in motorsport history; it is also considered one of the most incredible races in his career. The sports car manufacturer from Zuffenhausen entered two Porsche 936 models.

“The car driven by Ickx and Henri Pescarolo suffered an engine failure after three hours, forcing them to retire from the race. The then 32-year-old was assigned as a replacement driver for Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood in the second Porsche 936. Due to technical issues, the team was trailing by several laps. Ickx took to the wheel. He caught up, recovered the lost laps and drove to the limit – ultimately leading Porsche to the overall victory,” Porsche said.