Italian Ecstasy at Le Mans

No need to introduce the stunning and brilliantly engineered 1965 Le Mans winner, but we will give you a bit of history anyway.

 

3.3L V12 with 320hp, 5-speed transmission, independent suspensions, coil springs and 4 disc brakes… This could be the description of a modern fast car if it wasn’t for the small displacement relative to the power output and V12 engine architecture which is almost non-existent nowadays.

But no, those stats belong to a 1965 car, nonetheless the last Le Mans overall winner developed by Ferrari. This particular 250 LM model is chassis 5893 and is particularly coveted for its racing pedigree and legendary Le Mans win with Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory at the wheel. The same year, Ecurie Francorchamps won the 500km of Spa with another 250 LM.

 

 

During its introduction at the 1963 Paris Motorshow, the 250 LM featured the 250 GTO derived V12 with a 3.0L displacement. However, the production cars ended up with a bored up 3.3L engine to increase its competitiveness for Le Mans and other endurance racing series.

The 250 LM is the evolution of the 250 P (first rear-engine car to win Le Mans) and is a 2 seater race car designed for wealthy private racers and small teams. The 250 LM, unlike the 250 GTO was denied homologation by the FIA as it was produced under 100 units (the GTO managed to avoid the minimum requirements), making it only eligible to race in the prototype class.

Only 32 examples were ever created, which makes it a very rare occurrence to see and even more to see one up for sale with prices fetching well over £12M. Chassis 6025 is the only one example which was never raced and transformed in 1965 into a luxurious road car by Pininfarina. As Ferrari said it themselves, the 250 LM “embodies all the experience and features which have been most successful in the recent world long-distance competitions”, and for that reason remains one of the most successful sprints, endurance, and hill climb Ferrari racers with one of the cleanest, timeless designs.

 

The best video out there to give you shivers…

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