Le Mans hosted the fastest racing cars on the planet, top speeds on the world-famous Mulsanne straight exceeding 250mph for the first time in 1988. This decade''s new Group C regulations challenged motorsport engineers to achieve race-winning engine performance while saving fuel, fostering the original rationale of this historic event as a proving ground for emerging automotive technologies. It accelerated the development of control electronics and aerodynamics, and soon increasingly sophisticated racing coupés were setting new performance standards. The 1980 event was uniquely won by Jean Rondeau, a Le Mans resident, with a car of his own manufacture. After seven impressive Porsche successes, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, both returning to motorsport after long absences, won in 1988 and 1989. By the end of the decade, Le Mans was contested by Aston Martin, Jaguar, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota.
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