The 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 100th anniversary edition of the race, run over 10–11 June at Circuit de la Sarthe with a record 62-car entry. Among that field, car #38 of Hertz Team JOTA carried a story that reached well beyond the lap charts: a British privateer team running a first-generation LMDh prototype, backed by a global brand returning to endurance racing sponsorship for the first time in roughly five decades.
Porsche's LMDh Prototype: The 963
The Porsche 963 was homologated for both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2023, making it one of the most versatile prototypes in modern endurance racing. It is built on the shared LMDh Multimatic chassis — internally coded 9RD — and powered by a Porsche-developed 4.6-litre twin-turbocharged V8 mated to a Bosch motor-generator unit, with a TAG-McLaren ECU managing the hybrid system. Total system output is rated at approximately 500 kW (670 bhp). The 963's dual-series homologation meant that every race result it accumulated in 2023 carried significance in both championships simultaneously.
Hertz, JOTA and the Yellow-and-Black Livery
JOTA Sport, one of the most successful privateer endurance teams in recent history, made its Hypercar debut at Le Mans 2023 as a full Porsche Penske Motorsport customer team. The partnership with Hertz — whose yellow and black corporate colours were applied directly to the 963 bodywork — marked the rental brand's return to Le Mans-level sponsorship absent since the 1970s. Car #38 was entrusted to António Félix da Costa, the Portuguese single-seater and endurance specialist; Will Stevens, the British LMP veteran; and Yifei Ye, the Chinese driver in Porsche's Asia-Pacific programme. The trio delivered a remarkable result for the Hertz Team JOTA effort. Hertz Team JOTA also fielded car #99, crewed by Jenson Button, James Calado and Norman NATO.
IXO Models: Die-Cast at 1:18
This replica is produced by IXO Models, a French-owned die-cast manufacturer whose Le Mans GT and Hypercar range covers decades of prototype history at 1:18, 1:43 and 1:64. The model is rendered in die-cast metal, replicating the Hertz yellow-and-black livery of car #38 as raced on 10–11 June 2023. IXO's 1:18 Hypercar releases have established a strong foothold among collectors who want race-specification replicas of current-era prototypes without the price premium of fully hand-built resin pieces.
In the Display Cabinet
Car #38 belongs to a natural grouping defined by the 2023 Le Mans centenary. The sister Hertz Team JOTA car #99 is an obvious companion, as are the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory 963s from the same race. For collectors focused on privateer endurance narratives, JOTA's LMP2-era models offer historical continuity, while the Ferrari 499P and Cadillac V-Series.R from the same Hypercar class provide a broader Le Mans 2023 display. The yellow-and-black livery also gives the #38 strong visual contrast against the white and red Penske factory cars on any shelf.
