Sixty years ago, Ferrari scored the first of its six consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1960 to 1965. An unmatched feat that – along with the successes of 1949, 1954 and 1958 – allowed the Italian marque to surpass Bentley and Jaguar (co-holders of the win record at the time with five each). The sixth and final installment in this series addresses the lineage of the most legendary Ferraris at the race: the generation of 250 models.
Ferrari's string of six consecutive wins at the24 Hours coincided with the heyday, on the track and the road, of the different versions of the 250, the first of which dated back to 1952. Twenty-six variations of theFerrari 250 crossed the finish line at the race from 1960 to1965, and five of the marque's nine victories were won by a car sporting this number. Now considered a legend in the saga of Ferrari, the numberoriginally designated the unit volume of its engine, i.e. 250 cm3 for each of its twelve cylinders, arranged in a V.
250 TR, twopatronyms, two legends–Having first appeared in 1957, thisFerrari was also known under the nameTesta Rossa (TR), a reference (literal translation: red head) to the colour of the engine cylinder head covers immediately noticeable once the bonnetis open. At the wheel of this car, Olivier Gendebien won three of his four wins at the 24 Hours, in1958 and 1961 withPhil Hill, and in 1960 withPaul Frère. In 1962, theTesta Rossa label was also given to the330 ofGendebien-Hill, the last front-engine prototype to win at Le Mans.
250 GT SWB, perfection –In 1959, this version marked the birth of the road250 GT. To optimisemaneuverability, its wheelbase (the space between the front and rear axles) was reduced by20 cm, from 2.60 m to2.40 m. This earned it the moniker SWB (for short wheelbase), however not officially recognized by Ferrari. This250 GT SWB was available witha steel body(for the road) oraluminumbody (forcompetition). In 1960 and 1961, six 250 GT SWBs finished in thetop 10 at the 24 Hours, with as best result third place for Jean Guichet andPierre Noblet in 1961. That year, a very special250 took the start in the race. Nicknamed "Sperimentale"(experimental) by Italian journalists, the car was painted in French blueto welcome as a factory driverLe Mans area nativeFernand Tavano (joined by Giancarlo Baghetti). Forced to retire, this 250 predated one of the most iconic Ferrari's ever, set to make its first appearance the next year.
250 GTO, the legend–On24 February1962, during the annual presentation of competitionFerrari's in the courtyard of theMaranello factory, thepress discovered the250 GTO (for "Gran Turismo Omologato"). Compared to the 250 GT, its aerodynamics were optimised by a plunging front, back setV12 engine and a truncated rear witha spoiler.In 1962, the renownedGTO finished its first 24 Hours in second(Jean Guichet-Pierre Noblet) andthird(Jean Blaton-Léon Dernier) places. The following year, two BelgianGTOs made it into thetop 5 thanks toJean Blaton-Gérald Langlois von Ophem (second) andLéon Dernier-Pierre Dumay (fifth). In 1964, theGTO finished in thetop 10 once again, thanks toLucien Bianchi-Jean Blaton (fifth), Innes Ireland-Tony Maggs (sixth) andFernand Tavano-Bob Grossman (ninth). This exceptional achievement was followed up with three consecutive wins in the World MarquesChampionship (1962-63-64). Its track record and rareness(only thirty or so units were produced) make theGTO cost a fortune on the collection cars market, and happy owners form the elite ofFerrari lovers.
250 P, an Italianexception–In 1963, the onlyparticipation for theFerrari 250 P in the24 Hours ended in victory(Lorenzo Bandini-Ludovico Scarfiotti) and thirdplace (Umberto Maglioli-Mike Parkes). A third car took the start, but its driversJohn Surtees andWilly Mairesse were forced to retire in the lead with a fire in the19th hour. The250 P also marked a key date in the history of race as the first rear engine car to win at Le Mans. Bandini andScarfiotti formed the only all-Italian driver line-up to win the 24 Hours at the wheel of a Ferrari.
250 LM, the last victory–Presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1963, two250 LMs werefirst fielded in the 24 Hours in 1964, but only one made it to the chequered flag(16th), with at the wheelPierre Dumay-Gérald Langlois von Ophem. The car tasted glory the following year: after the retirement for factoryprototypes 330 P2 and275 P2, aduel between Ferrari partner teams pitted North American Racing Team (NART) againstEcurie Francorchamps. They finished in this order in the top two spots thanks to Masten Gregory-Jochen Rindt (winners) andPierre Dumay-Gustave Gosselin (second). This one-two was rounded out by another partner team, the Swiss outfitScuderia Filipinetti, sixth thanks to Dieter Spoerry-Andreas Boller. The 250 LM was seen again at Le Mans in 1966, 1968 and 1969.
PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LEMANS. From top to bottom, the250 TR of Belgian duo Olivier Gendebien-Paul Frère, winners in1960 (#11); two versions drivenat the race by Le Mans nativeFernand Tavano: the250 GT SWB in 1960 (#16) and the250 calledSperimentale in 1961 (#12); the 1964 vintage version of the mythical250 GTO (#25): pictured here, the one entered by British teamMaranello Concessionaires, sixth thanks toInnes Ireland-Tony Maggs.
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