This record remains unbroken, despite attempts to do so by some of the biggest names in the automotive industry using the most powerful and technologically advanced cars in the world.
Now a team of engineering students from the Netherlands plans to beat this record with a hybrid racing prototype of their own design and also to go on and win at Le Mans in the same vehicle.
The car planned to make this all a reality, is called the IM01. It was designed by students from the Technical University of Eindhoven and the Fontys University of Applied Sciences.
It is powered by four individual electric motors - one per wheel - and fitted with regenerative braking. The car also uses a rotary engine to supply extra energy to charge the batteries.
No details are known about the power or performance of the electric motors or the rotary engine.
To date, Nissan has been the fastest hybrid around Le Mans with its ZEOD RC and Audi took first and second place with its Audi R18 e-tron Quattro there in 2012.
Source: Technical University of Eindhoven
The IM01 is gunning for a 30-year-old record.
