Description
The Ferrari 250 Le Mans, often referred to as the 250 LM, was introduced in 1963 as Ferrari’s attempt to extend the dominance of its legendary 250 series into the new mid-engine era of endurance racing. Unlike the earlier 250 GT and 250 TR, which used front-mounted engines, the 250 LM was designed with its V12 mounted in the middle of the car, behind the driver, following the philosophy that had already proven successful with the Ferrari 250 P prototype. This configuration gave the 250 LM better balance, superior handling, and improved aerodynamics, placing it at the forefront of sports car design in the 1960s.
The car was powered by a 3.3-liter version of the Colombo V12 engine, derived from the 250 series but enlarged to produce around 320 horsepower. This engine, paired with a lightweight tubular chassis and aerodynamic coupe bodywork by Pininfarina and Scaglietti, made the 250 LM a formidable machine on the track. Its compact proportions, low weight, and mid-engine layout gave it agility that rivaled anything of the period, while the V12 delivered the speed and endurance Ferrari was famous for.
The 250 LM was originally intended as a successor to the 250 GTO, and Ferrari hoped to homologate it for the GT class. However, the FIA ruled it as a prototype rather than a GT car, which limited its eligibility for certain categories of competition. Despite this setback, the car quickly proved itself in endurance racing. Its greatest achievement came at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, where a privately entered 250 LM fielded by the North American Racing Team (NART) took overall victory. This was Ferrari’s last outright win at Le Mans, giving the 250 LM a permanent place in racing history.
Only 32 examples of the 250 LM were built, making it one of the rarest Ferraris of the 1960s. Each was slightly unique, reflecting Ferrari’s practice of tailoring cars to the needs of customers and teams. Although it never achieved the broad dominance of the 250 GTO, the 250 LM was a crucial step in Ferrari’s evolution, blending the proven reliability of the 250 series V12 with the mid-engine design that would define Ferrari’s endurance prototypes for the next decade.
Today, the Ferrari 250 Le Mans is regarded as one of the most significant and desirable Ferraris ever made. Its rarity, beauty, and historic Le Mans victory have made it one of the most valuable classic cars, with surviving examples commanding extraordinary sums at auction. More than just a racer, the 250 LM stands as a turning point in Ferrari’s history, bridging the celebrated front-engined past with the groundbreaking mid-engined future.