Group C replaced the outgoing Group 6 and Le Mans GTP classes and imposed strict limits: a minimum car weight of 800 kg, fuel tanks capped at 100 litres, and a maximum of 25 refuelling stops per car, yielding 2,600 litres for the entire race. Unlike IMSA's sliding weight-scale rules, the new formula was incompatible with the major American endurance rounds, removing Daytona and Sebring from World Championship consideration. A compulsory flat floor area between the axles was mandated to limit ground-effects performance, while aerodynamic rules effectively guaranteed closed-bodyshell designs.
Porsche's new 956 was an aluminium monocoque ground-effect car, Porsche's first, jointly developed with Dornier for wind-tunnel aerodynamics. Its 2.65-litre turbocharged flat-six produced around 580 bhp at race boost and was managed by sophisticated digital fuel meters in the cars. Three works cars were entered, led by the 1981 winners Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell; Jochen Mass and Vern Schuppan were in the second car; the third had Jürgen Barth, Hurley Haywood, and Al Holbert.
Ford provided the principal opposition with its new Cosworth DFL-powered C100, while the French Rondeau team came to Le Mans as championship leaders, fielding three Group C cars including the new M482 ground-effect design. The small WM team brought its Peugeot-engined P82, notable for an extremely narrow frontal area giving it exceptional top-speed capability. Lancia entered two LC1 cars in the two-litre Group 6 class, exploiting that class's absence of weight and fuel restrictions. Aston Martin made a Group C return through the Nimrod Racing Automobiles project, built around a Lola T385 aluminium hull and a 5.3-litre Aston Martin V8 producing 570 bhp.
The IMSA contingent in the GTX class included Joest and Kremer Porsche 935 variants, four Ferraris from the North American Racing Team and others, Mazdaspeed RX-7s prepared by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, and a distinctive Bob Akin Porsche 935 with an unusual bonded alloy monocoque. Notably, Steve O'Rourke of EMKA Racing brought a GTX-class BMW co-driven by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.
Ickx was dominant in qualifying, posting the fastest lap in the opening session at 3:28.4 seconds and the highest speed down the Hunaudières straight at 355 km/h (221 mph). Mass was second, Wollek in the Joest Porsche third. The two Lancias qualified fifth and sixth; Riccardo Patrese had arrived late after a delayed flight from Venice and needed only two laps to qualify before rain halted the session. Klaus Ludwig was the fastest Ford driver in sixth on the grid. The Rondeau cars suffered fuel pick-up and electrical problems in practice and qualified midfield. A dramatic incident during qualifying saw the Vegla 935 tyre blow at 300 km/h at the Mulsanne kink, sending Harald Grohs into the barriers in a series of rolls; he escaped uninjured.
The Mario and Michael Andretti Mirage was disqualified on the start-line after a random check revealed their gearbox oil cooler had been mounted 10 cm behind the gearbox — a position deemed unsafe — which had been missed in initial scrutineering. Richard Lloyd, first reserve, was given fifteen minutes to prepare his Porsche 924.
Fuel economy was the defining tactical tension from the start. The Cosworth-engined Rondeau and Ford initially held the lead thanks to better fuel consumption, but severe vibration in the long-stroke DFL engine progressively afflicted teams throughout the afternoon. By early evening the works Porsches were running first and second, a position they maintained through the night as rival marques fell away. The two Lancia LC1s were immediately troubled by faulty fuel pumps and each stopped on-track for running repairs lasting around an hour, dropping them to the back of the field.
By the four-hour mark, Winkelhock led in the Ford ahead of the Holbert/Haywood/Barth Porsche. Shortly after 8pm the Ford pitted and surrendered the lead permanently to Porsche. The Joest Porsche established itself in third place.
The Cosworth DFL's inherent vibration caused catastrophic failures across the field through the night. Both Ford C100s retired — Winkelhock lost his clutch then the engine; Surer stopped on-track with electrical failure. Both Sauber cars retired, one with starter motor problems. The Ultramar Lola dropped back with starter issues and retired with head gasket failure. All three works Rondeaux ultimately retired: Lapeyre parked the third-placed M482 at Arnage after the DFL shook its distributor apart.
The Joest Porsche of Bob Wollek ran a steady third for most of the night, developing a progressive misfire in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Ickx and Bell moved into the lead shortly after midnight and were never seriously threatened thereafter, gradually extending their advantage over the Mass/Schuppan Porsche. At ninety minutes from the end, the Joest car's engine failed at Tertre Rouge, stranding Wollek out on the circuit and eliminating what had been a comfortable third place. The Holbert/Haywood/Barth third works Porsche recovered from a twenty-minute pit stop to fix a blown-off door and later a rear wheel bearing failure, ultimately finishing third but many laps adrift.
Ickx and Bell won by three laps over their Porsche teammates Mass and Schuppan, covering 4,899.09 km at an average speed of 204.13 km/h. Only 18 cars were classified finishers from the original 55 starters. Porsche swept the top five places, with the Fitzpatrick Joest special 935 completing the top five on five cylinders. The Nimrod-Aston Martin finished seventh. Just two Cosworth-engined cars were still running at the finish: Pierre Yver's older Rondeau M379C in tenth and Christian Bussi's M382 in fifteenth.
The victory gave Ickx an unprecedented sixth outright Le Mans win, cementing his status as the race's greatest driver of his era. Porsche's 1-2-3 finish for the works team was the company's most dominant race yet and set an exceptionally high bar for any rival manufacturer seeking to challenge under the new Group C formula. The Busby/Bundy Porsche 924 won the GTO class running on a single set of BF Goodrich road tyres throughout — the first Le Mans class victory on road tyres since specialised racing rubber became the norm. The winning Porsche also claimed the Index of Energy Efficiency prize, its consumption of 47.8 litres per 100 km measured against a 35.1-litre target. Bell later estimated the car had approximately 20 minutes of fuel remaining at the finish.
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