- A rare Ferrari owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is up for sale
- The Ferrari is a 250 LM, the successor the 250 GTO
- The car took overall victory at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans
Most classic Ferraris will fetch top dollar at auctions these days, but what about an example that won overall at Le Mans? The simple answer is priceless, at least in the eyes of collectors.
Just such a car is headed to auction shortly. The Ferrari 250 LM that won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans has been consigned to RM Sotheby’s for sale at an auction that will run later this year or in 2025.
The car is part of the collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which is parting with some of its finest pieces to raise funds for future acquisitions and to help with running of the museum. Also set to go under the hammer is a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner, driven by legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss.
The 250 LM was intended to be the successor to Ferrari’s 250 GTO, and was sold primarily to privateer racers. It was derived from the successful 250 P prototype race car but built for the road to classify for GT competition, with Ferrari essentially slapping a roof on the 250 P to transform it into the 250 LM.
1964 Ferrari 250 LM that won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans – Photo via RM Sotheby’s
This particular 250 LM, a 1964 example, was fielded in the 1965 Le Mans race by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team and driven by Masten Gregory, Ed Hugus, and Jochen Rindt. Their win was the last overall for Ferrari at Le Mans, until the automaker returned to the top of the podium in 2023 thanks to the new 499P LMH.
The 250 LM was originally fitted with a 3.0-liter V-12, but later cars received a 3.3-liter unit. The change meant those later 250 LMs, including this one, had to compete in the prototype class at Le Mans. After its win, it would compete again at two more rounds of Le Mans, as well as four rounds of the 24 Hours of Daytona. It would also make an appearance at the 1966 New York auto show.
The car was acquired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1972 from collector Kirk F. White.
Other rare cars the museum plans to depart with over the coming year include a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II, a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP64, a 1928 Bugatti Type 35B, and a 1991 Benneton B191 Formula 1 car raced by Michael Schumacher.