1964
Code 0322
Body style: coupé
In 1963, Ferraris, powered by their legendary V12 engine, racked up a number of big wins in international racing. Enzo Ferrari was nevertheless starting to worry about Ford, which had just unveiled its GT 40 project, a direct competitor to the Ferrari stars of gran turismo. The firm therefore decided to build a model with a central rear engine, the 250 Le Mans berlinetta.
However, the Commission Sportive Internationale race authorities refused to approve it to race in the GT category. 100 production units were required for this category, but only 32 of the Ferrari 250 LM had been built. It therefore had to race in the “prototype” category, against much bigger cars. This handicap did not prevent it having a very successful career, including recording a ninth Ferrari win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965, at an average speed of 195 kph (121 mph).
With very few modifications to this “competition” type, Ferrari released a commercial model, which is exhibited at the Cité de l’Automobile. This car was owned by a leading Swedish Ferrari enthusiast, who had ordered in 1964 but had to wait until early 1965 for his “LM”, because the car he initially should have received had been run into the ground in testing. This car had a bit more luck – apart from a few local competitions in the Stockholm area, its mileage was kept relatively low. It was bought by the Schlumpf brothers in autumn 1967.
