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The 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 31st Grand Prix of Endurance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans series and took place on 15 and 16 June 1963. It was also the tenth round of the 1963 World Sportscar Championship season.
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This race saw the death of Brazilian driver Christian Heins when his Alpine M63 Renault was involved in a fatal accident: five hours into the race, the engine of the Bruce McLaren/Innes Ireland Aston Martin DP214 blew up, causing 20 liters of oil to be spilled on the track. Drivers Ninian Sanderson and Michael Salmon avoided the oil, but not Roy Salvadori; his Jaguar E-Type lightweight spun on the oil, became airborne, landed on its roof and burst into flames. Jean-Pierre Manzon in his René Bonnet Aerodjet LM6 hit the Jaguar and stopped in the middle of the track. Heins, who was leading his class at the time, was unable to avoid the wreck, swerved out of control and hit another vehicle. His car then spun into a lamp post and exploded into flames. Manzon and Salvadori were injured, but Heins died instantly of severe burns and massive head injuries.
Not Classified
Failed to complete final lap under own power or failed to cover sufficient distance (237 laps)