Driving into history with a stone-cold classic race to mark its 100th anniversary the centennial 24 Hours of Le Mans delivered on every level, not least in an equally historic return to the top for Ferrari. Scriptwriters tasked with pencilling a storyline to honour the occasion would surely have not dared imagine a plot quite as gripping, or as unlikely, as the one that unfolded at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

For half a century the Scuderia have not competed in the top class at Le Mans but they came back in style, taking a mighty victory at the first time of asking and after an almighty struggle in a vingt-quatre more than worthy of marking the occasion.

Le Mans has long been inextricably linked with Ferrari, not least with their six consecutive victories between 1960 to 1965 but the Scuderia last competed here at the top level in 1973 and while they have taken nine wins, the last was back in 1965. The scale of their achievement this year cannot be underestimated. Conventional wisdom has it that it takes three years of competition at the 24 to be in a place to challenge for a win. Given it was at the first attempt after such a long absence and in a field that included hugely competitive entries from Porsche, Toyota Peugeot and Cadillac, this was a monumental feat.

This 100th anniversary of the first 24 Heures du Mans held in 1923 heralded the debut of the new hypercar class and the excitement and expectation for this new era of endurance racing had been building for several years. By the time race weekend arrived it was reaching a crescendo. On the Eurostar out of London on Friday there was a positively party atmosphere in anticipation of the weekend that was to come, drinks were being taken and new friends being made. Le Mans always has the celebratory air of a reunion but this one felt special, almost as if 30 years had passed since the last.

By the time LeBron James waved the tricolour to start the race at 4pm on Saturday, it was long sold out to the tune of 300,000 fans, for the first time in its storied history. There was nary an inch of space in any viewing area around the 8.46-mile track. Beyond the packed grandstands, spectators clung to the chain link fences as they clung to their beers, five and six deep in every possible space and they were not to be disappointed.

When the No 51 Ferrari 499P of Italy’s Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi and Britain’s James Calado took the flag they had come out on top after a blow for blow battle that had lasted for almost all of the full 24 hours over the No 8 Toyota of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa. There had been scant seconds in it for all but the final hour and a half, when a late off for the Toyota proved costly. Yet by the time the clock counted out the final moments Ferrari had completed 342 laps and still only had one minute and 21 seconds on their rival.

The tone had been set from the off, a frenetic opening six hours interrupted by sudden and intense downpours that disappeared almost as soon as they had arrived. Climactic interjections as if of the hand of an unseen director, inexplicably of the opinion an already gripping spectacle needed further inspiration.

Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, Cadillac and Peugeot, the lead changed hands between them all as they raced into the night. Peugeot were the first to fall down the field, with an off at the first chicane. Mechanical issues as always played their part but Porsche’s main challenge fell away when Kévin Estre crashed after a tangle with an LMP2 car. Cadillac gamely stayed in the hunt but by mid morning, it was a two-way fight between the last men standing at Ferrari and Toyota.

Both ran at relentless pace and repeatedly exchanged the lead until the Toyota’s late off. Ferrari being Ferrari there was of course a last, impossibly tense, twist as on the final pit stop, the car sat in its box unable to restart. The seconds ticked away, the car stood shock still as blood drained from faces across the garage. Yet there was no panic, nerves held and Pier Guidi gave his reluctant prancing horse the requisite sugar lump and off it went for him to guide the Scuderia home.

Ferrari’s Formula One driver Charles Leclerc was at the race to support his teammates and it should be be noted that the team’s return to top-level sports car racing was partly born out of its need to reallocate resources away from their F1 team because of the limitations imposed on staffing by the budget cap. As the Scuderia struggles in F1, the irony of them delivering such an impressive car, bulletproof on reliability, with a fearsome straightline speed that was the differentiator in a highly competitive field and a consummate operational execution, will likely not be missed at Maranello. Leclerc could perhaps only observe wistfully as the team proved just how good it can be.

It was a win for the ages that must be added to the pantheon of some of Le Mans’ greatest meetings, a race proving itself to be in rude health despite having already put 100 years on the clock.

The special event was also marked by another equally memorable achievement of historical significance, with the all-female Iron Dames team claiming fourth in the GTE-AM class, the highest in class for an all-female team since Lella Lombardi and Christine Beckers were fourth in 1977.

The Cadillac of Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook was in third place. The LMP2 class was won by the Inter Europol Competition team of Fabio Scherer, Albert Costa and Jakub Smiechowski. Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nicolás Varrone were victorious for Corvette in GTE-AM.