Ferrari’s Unsung Racing Hero

How do you replace the 250 GTO, arguably the greatest Ferrari of all, and certainly the most valuable? That was the unenviable job of the 250 LM, unveiled almost exactly 60 years ago at the Paris Motor Show.

The 250 LM would never match the GT racing glory of the 250 GTO. Yet it was far from an under achiever. It would earn much motor sport success, including an outright win at Le Mans; its design inspired a host of new Ferraris (including the 296 GTB); and it is now one of the most sought-after and valuable of all classic Ferraris.

The 250 LM celebrates its 60th birthday this year and remains one of the most celebrated sports racing cars ever made

It had a troubled birth. In essence, it was a coupè berlinetta version of the 250 P sports racing prototype, winner of Le Mans in 1963. Like the 250 GTO, it was intended as a limited-volume car to compete in production GT sports car racing. As such, it would be sold to customers, and be raced in premier GT races around the world.

Yet, a few months after the 250 LM’s Paris unveiling, the FIA – governing body of world motor sport – refused to certify it. Ferrari, it said, had failed to build the 100 cars necessary for homologation.

Packed with highly innovative technology, the 250 LM's mid-engined V12 was capable of reaching 287 km/h, enough to see it cross the finish line first at Le Mans in 1965

Instead, it had to race in the top-level prototype class, against tailor-made sports racing cars. This decision greatly reduced the 250 LM’s likelihood of winning races and its customer appeal. It also infuriated Enzo Ferrari, who threatened to withdraw from GT racing.

While Scuderia Ferrari used prototype 275 P and 330 P sports racers for the 1964 and 1965 seasons, the less powerful (and slower) 250 LM was sold to private Ferrari-backed teams – including the North American Racing Team (NART), UK-based Ferrari Concessionaires, Switzerland’s Ecurie Filipinetti and Belgium’s Ecurie Francorchamps. Less muscular than the 275 P and 330 P it may have been, but the 250 LM’s agility, speed and reliability still made it an appealing sports racing car.

From clay model to fully fledged racing machine, the 250 LM was, from the outset, designed to compete. The air intakes on the rear arches deliver air directly to the V12 while the low-drag body shape provides as little air resistance as possible

Its finest hour came at Le Mans in 1965. Against Scuderia Ferrari’s new 330 P2 and Ford’s new GT40, the NART-entered 250 LM of Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory won a shock victory. They started a mere 11th on the grid, qualifying 12-seconds behind the fastest Ford. 

The big-budget Fords had engine and transmission problems and retired early. The new 330 P2s seemed to be cruising to victory until their innovative new disc brakes started to crack. Ferrari has always used motor racing to test new components. In 1965, it trialled new brake discs featuring radial ventilation slots (which would soon become commonplace in racing). When the brakes cracked, so did the 330 P2’s chances of victory. 

The design inspired a host of new Ferraris (including the 296 GTB) and it is now one of the most sought-after and valuable of all classic Prancing Horses

The NART-entered 250 LM would win by five laps ahead of another privately entered 250 LM and a 275 GTB. It was a Ferrari 1-2-3 – but achieved by three unfancied Ferraris. 

A Scuderia Filipinetti 250 LM would also come sixth, behind a brace of new factory-entered Porsches. The 250 LM would also triumph at the Reims 12-hour race (in 1964) and at the Kyalami 9 hours in South Africa (also in 1964).

The 250 LM’s design was trend setting, which is why many of its styling cues have been copied (including on the 296 GTB). Its technology was also highly innovative, not least that it was Ferrari’s first rear-mid engine V12 coupé. 

Most important, it occupied an elevated place in Maranello’s racing pantheon as the last Ferrari to win Le Mans outright. Until the new 499P achieved glory this year.