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In the mid-1990s, SsangYong Motor Company, a South Korean manufacturer better known for its SUVs and trucks, made an unexpected foray into endurance racing. This bold attempt was supposed to break new ground by entering the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans, making SsangYong the first Korean automaker to compete in the prestigious event. The effort was led by 1991 Le Mans winner and former Formula 1 driver Bertrand Gachot, who through his ingenuity and dogged determination brought the unlikely project into life.
Gachot, seeking to transition from racing driver to business opportunities, joined forces with Ko Gotoh, a one-time shareholder in Pacific Racing. The unlikely duo approached SsangYong, which was eager to build its presence in Europe. The manufacturer agreed – with a shoestring budget and one condition: the car had to be fitted with a Mercedes-Benz engine, reflecting SsangYong’s technical alliance with the German car maker.
Gachot chose a Welter Racing (WR) LM94 chassis, a central-seat LMP2, which was reputedly an innovative piece of engineering. The car, originally fabricated to take a Peugeot powerplant, was fitted with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder Mercedes engine, which had been prepared by Nicholson-McLaren Engines in the UK. Engine blocks were actually sourced from scrap yards, it being believed that aged cast iron was stronger—a modus operandi also adopted by BMW during its turbocharged F1 era in the 1980s.
The car was assembled, but now Gachot had to put a team together. Under his management company, Pretty Good Management (PGM), Gachot hired a handful of experienced Formula 1 mechanics and rented what equipment was needed to create a makeshift operation.
By April 1996, the SsangYong-badged WR LM94 arrived to take part in the Le Mans pre-qualifying. Unfortunately, mechanical ills and an on-track clash with another WR car would eliminate any chances of the chassis advancing to the main event. Despite failing to qualify, Gachot brought the car back out for the Coupes d’Automne ACO, a four-hour endurance event on the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans in September 1996. Qualifying third, while the car had shown some pace, mechanical failure would again prevent a competitive race finish.
The project represented the end of SsangYong’s very short tenure in motorsport and coincided with its 1997 acquisition by Daewoo. Though it did not achieve the goals intended, it is still a pioneering moment for Korean makers into the rigors of sports car endurance racing. Years later, Gachot looks back to that project and smiles: “We were disappointed but proud. Our little package was super-fast.
This forgotten chapter of the Le Mans history is a story of innovation and determination in which South Korea will find its place for the future in global motorsport.
