On the racing track and on the road coupés and convertibles have been vieing for attention for years. “In 1925, Le Mans cars had a soft top", says Le Mans race commentator Bruno Vandestick. "Race rules stipulated that competitors should fit the top on the car at the start and do the first twenty laps with it to make sure it was strong enough. To prevent drivers from jumping the gun and fitting the top before, competitors had to line up on the far side of the track, opposite their cars, which is how the famous Le Mans start originated."

There are no longer any soft tops in the race, but there are open and closed cockpits, each of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. In terms of victories, open cockpits win over closed 51 to 33, but in recent years, the ratio has swung the other way. Audi technicians used to be particularly proud of the open-cockpit Spyder’s features, highlighting the rapid driver changeover, improved visibility and the absence of windscreen steam or an overheated cockpit. In 2011 the German manufacturer switched to a closed cockpit with other advantages, a more robust chassis and faster top speed, not to mention a superb design.

“An open cockpit is a big advantage for pitstops because the driver changeover is twice as fast, but since the tyre change time allowance has been extended, that doesn’t make so much difference any more." says nine-time winner Tom Kristensen.

This year, there are only five open cockpits on the sixty-car grid. Next year new rules will come into force and open cockpits will no longer be allowed for safety reasons: a roof and windscreen protect the driver. This is therefore the last time that experts and fans will be able to spot drivers on track thanks to their helmet designs.