The opportunity of a lifetime

That is, if you have ‘in excess of €25 million’ available for the 1965 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 LM. This car, previously owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, comes up for sale at RM Sotheby’s Paris auction, on February 5^th.

Prior to the 2023 victory of the 499P, this 250 LM was in fact the last Ferrari to have won the Le Mans 24 Hours race. And that is not just its only claim to fame; this is also the only privately-run Ferrari to have won Le Mans overall. To say this is a unique piece of motor racing history becoming available, is an understatement still.

Six in a row

In 1965, this 250 LM took Ferrari’s sixth consecutive win. Although that is not a record, Porsche did better, and it is still a highly impressive statistic. Especially as by 1965, the battle between Ford and Ferrari was starting to reach a peak. In fact, in 1965 the rivalry would take a heavy toll, and none of the factory-entered Ferraris and Porsches would make it to the finish.

Starting a lowly 11^th in a field that counted 12 Ferraris (of which 5 250 LMs) and 6 Ford GT40s, the Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt manned 250 LM was a NART entry. Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team was one of many factory-supported private teams. With a misfire causing time loss early in the race, Rindt and Gregory attacked the rest of the race with a devil-may-care attitude.

Goodyear

For a long time, it looked like they would have to settle for second, behind the Ecurie Francorchamps 250 LM driven by Gosselin and Dumay, until one of the Englebert tyres burst on the Belgian entry. In fact, the NART win was the first major victory for Goodyear tyres in an international event. And then there was the matter of the mystery third driver, Ed Hugus.

The NART Ferrari 250 LM, chassis #5893, was brought back to the States. In February 1966, Jochen Rindt and Bob Bondurant drove it in the inaugural Daytona 24, finishing ninth. NART had the 250 LM on display at the New York Motor Show in 1967.

Daytona and Le Mans only

Remarkably, chassis #5893 would only contest 24-hour races in its career. It did Le Mans in 1968 (DNF) and 1969 (8^th), and Daytona in 1968 (DNF) and 1970 (7^th), incidentally also the last time a Ferrari 250 LM ran in a world championship race. In April 1970, Chinetti sold #5893 to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (IMS).

The Indy museum kept the 250 LM in running condition, with the original engine and gearbox that did six 24-hour races. And that is how it will be sold now. With IMS shifting the focus of the museum to Indy history, the Ferrari 250 LM and the Streamliner Mercedes W 196 R Formula 1 (auctioned in Stuttgart this weekend) suddenly became surplus. Bringing these cars to auction is nothing less than a formidable opportunity for race car collectors to become the owner of two highly authentic, unique pieces of motor racing history.

There are just 32 Ferrari 250 LMs, and of these, chassis #5893 is the most important one. On February 5^th, we will know if this incredible car will go to a new caretaker, who is willing to invest over €25 million ($26 million). More on the Paris auction here.