This 250 LM is liveried in the manner of the NART-entered winner at Le Mans in 1964. It withstood the pressure of drivers Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory.
Ferrari

Touring Grandly — The Ferrari 250 LM

Though tripped at the start by politics, Ferrari’s first mid-engined V-12 racing coupe gained momentum, culminating in a win at Le Mans. Two years followed in which the 250 LM was the beau ideal for independent racers and teams.

Avatar photoKarl Ludvigsen

At the Paris Salon in October of 1963 Ferrari unveiled the closed-roofed production version of its V-12-powered open racer, the 250 P. Named the 250 Le Mans or, more familiarly, 250 LM, either way it was dynamite. Booked to take the place of the famous 250 GTO, it was every centimeter the 250 P with a lid on. Manifestly, no Grand Touring car could live with it on the same stretch of racetrack.

A plan view focused on the suspension details of the 250 LM. Also illustrated are the fuel tanks, substantial transaxle and oil tank behind its radiator.

Creation of the 250 LM was a logical step in a program that maintained Ferrari’s exploitation of mid-engined racers with V-12 engines. Launched in 1964, this commitment was Ferrari’s riposte to Ford’s effort to crush Enzo Ferrari’s initiative by buying it. Wrote historians Warren Fitzgerald and Richard Merritt, “It took Ford two and a half years to win against Ferrari and Ferrari frequently came back to triumph over the big American firm. This era was one of extreme satisfaction for Ferrari. Challenge after challenge was successfully met and the glory of the Ferrari name was polished to an even higher luster.”

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Karl Ludvigsen
Karl E. Ludvigsen is a journalist, author, and historian of the automotive industry and motorsports. Karl Ludvigsen is the author of the definitive history of Porsche. His Porsche history, Excellence was Expected, is considered to be a model of the researching and writing of the history of an auto company. Ludvigsen is an honorary member of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America and the Corvair Society of America. He is also a member of the council of the Historic Automobile Group.
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