Ferrari 312PB n°15 pilotée par Jacky Ickx

Already in 1973, the 50th anniversary of the Le Mans race was commemorated. The Matra Ferrari duel is announced. Matra puts its title of winner at stake, and Ferrari fights to win the World Brand Championship. Before the race at Le Mans, the Italian team scored 95 points against 64 for the French team.

Arturo Merzario’s Ferrari no. 16 started on pole. As planned, he plays the role of hare at the start. But on lap 30, when Carlos Pace had taken over three laps earlier, he turned on the small light on the left wing to warn of his return to the pit. In a crash, the driver gets out of the car with the suit soaked in gas; the small buffer tank on the right side leaks into the passenger compartment. It loses 25’ in the pits. When Pace goes back on the road, François Cévert’s Matra took the lead of the race, the other two follow him, and he leaves in 30th position. He improves the lap record. It then begins a long comeback. At 1:15 in the morning, while it is in 5th position, the clutch breaks; a new pit stop immobilizes it at the pit for 37'. It is back in 7th position and still making progress until the end of the race. The team took advantage of the retirement of Ickx – Redman’s Ferrari No. 15 in the last hour of the race to secure second place.

The 312PB version of Le Mans is distinguished by an extended wheelbase, a reduced front and rear track, new suspension systems and a completely overhauled bodywork (concave front hood and flatter rear hood topped with a wide transverse aileron). The battery is placed in the shell behind the front right wheel. At the front, two large headlights are positioned behind a porthole located in the center of the concave part of the hood. As at Nürburgring, the gills on the front of the wings are hollowed. Above the left headlight, an orange light allows the driver to communicate in code with the pit. The rear hood is "long tail" like at Monza and Spa. The decoration is original because of the number placed higher above the central headlights. The rear-view mirror, the engine air intakes, the very small upper part of the chassis, the fins and the rear wing are in the colours of the first driver’s country (blue for the Argentinian Reutemann, yellow for the Belgian Jacky Ickx and green for the Brazilian Carlos Pace). The windshield guard is topped by a tiny windshield.

After 6 hours racing, car number 17 of Schenken and Reutemann which wisely took lead of the race. The reign lasts more than 5 hours but goes up in smoke like the engine at 2 o'clock in the morning. Its retirement gives the Matra MS 670B No. 11 from Pesca-Larrousse 2nd place behind the Ferrari 312 PB of Ickx-Redman in the lead.