24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – MAKES, MARQUES and IMPRINTS ⎮ Ferrari reigned supreme at Le Mans between 1960 and 1965, with a staggering six wins in a row, before being dethroned on its favourite playing field by Ford. The success gave birth to some of the Italian manufacturer's most iconic cars. Here's a look at several among them pending Ferrari's big return to the head Hypercar class for the Centenary.
Ferrari's domination during the first half of the 1960s included the first victory for a rear engine prototype at the 24 Hours. Nine drivers triumphed with the marque during that period: Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill, Paul Frère, Lorenzo Bandini, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Jean Guichet, Nino Vaccarella, Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt.
Though Formula 1 had made its move to rear engines at the start of the 1960s after Jack Brabham's Cooper won twice (1959 and 1960), Ferrari remained loyal to front engine prototypes for the 24 Hours, with Gendebien scoring three victories in 1960 with Paul Frère, and in 1961 and 1962 with Phil Hill (250 TR then 330 TRI/LM).
In 1963, the year of the introduction of timed qualifying, the first pole position in the history of the race was clinched by Pedro Rodríguez at the wheel of a 330 TRI/LM. Along with Roger Penske, the Mexican driver was forced to retire during the race, making the 330 TRI/LM both the last front engine Ferrari prototype to win (in 1962) and to compete in the 24 Hours (in 1963).
Forever linked with Ferrari in motorsport, the name corresponds to the unit volume of the engine, i.e. 250 cm3 for each of its 12 cylinders, with several glorious variations during the 1960s.
First appearing in 1957, the 250 TR (like the 330) was also known by the moniker Testa Rossa (literal translation: red head) in reference to the colour of the engine cylinder head covers. In addition to 1960 and 1961, the 250 TR won in 1958 thanks to Olivier Gendebien/Phil Hill.
The name 250 is also associated with one of Ferrari's great road cars. In 1960 and 1961, six 250 GT SWBs made it into the top 10 with as best result third place for Jean Guichet/Pierre Noblet in 1961. Interestingly, the mention SWB (short wheelbase) was never officially recognised by Ferrari, and corresponded to a version with a wheelbase (the space between the front and rear axles) reduced from 2.6 m to 2.4 m to improve handling.
The 250 GTO of 1962 is considered the most legendary of all. Aerodynamically optimised by a set back engine, plunging front bonnet and rear spoiler, the car reached the top 5 three years in a row: second in 1962 and 1963, fifth in 1962, 1963 and 1964. These outstanding results earned Ferrari the crown in the World Championship for Makes at the end of these three seasons.
The first rear engine prototype to win Le Mans, the 250 P, claimed the top step on the podium for its sole participation thanks to Italian duo Lorenzo Bandini/Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1963. The following year, the 250 LM made its debut and secured Ferrari's ninth and final victory to date with Masten Gregory/Jochen Rindt. The 250 LM enjoyed a (very) long life, seen on the track at the 24 Hours in 1966, 1968 and 1969.
Faced with the rise of Ford, the 365 and the 330 appeared in 1965 and 1966, respectively.
In 1966, the 365 P2 was reserved for partner teams while the factory team fielded the 330 P3. None of the cars made it to the chequered flag in 1966, but the following year, the optimised version of 330 called the P4 was immediately recognised as one of the most stunning prototypes Ferrari has ever designed.
Thanks to their efforts chasing down Dan Gurney/A.J. Foyt's winning Ford Mk IV, Ludovico Scarfiotti/Mike Parkes and Willy Mairesse/Jean Blaton secured a double podium finish with second and third places at the wheel of their 330 P4s.
In 1968, prototypes were limited to three litres. Ferrari answered the new regulations in 1969 with the 312 P, but both cars entered were forced to retire. That year also marked the first appearance of the Italian manufacturer's next big rival, the Porsche 917. More on that later...
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 1960-1969 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: the #11 250 TR 59/60 of winning duo Paul Frère/Olivier Gendebien in 1960; the #10 330 TRI/LM pole-sitter in 1963 here with Roger Penske, partner 60 years later for Porsche's return to the head Hypercar class for the Centenary; the 1961 version of the #10 250 TR winner that year thanks to Olivier Gendebien/Phil Hill; also in 1961, the #14 250 GT of Jean Guichet/Pierre Noblet finished third; in 1963, the #24 250 GTO of Belgian duo Jean Blaton/Gérald Langlois von Ophem finished second behind the 250 P of winners Lorenzo Bandini/Ludovico Scarfiotti; the 250 LM was the only Ferrari in the classification in 1969 with eighth place for Sam Posey/Teodoro Zeccoli; among the partner teams to field a 365 P2 in 1966 figured the one driven by Masten Gregory/Bob Bondurant (#18) entered by Luigi Chinetti's NART; the #20 330 P3 of Mike Parkes/Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966 (retirement) and the #24 330 P4 of Jean Blaton/Willy Mairesse (third) in 1967.
