24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – MAKES, MARQUES and IMPRINTS ⎮ Ahead of the highly anticipated appearance of Ferrari's 499 P Hypercar in the centenary race in June, here is a look back at two iconic cars entered by the Italian manufacturer during the 1990s, the F40 and 333 SP.
While the McLaren F1 GTR's rookie win at the 1995 24 Hours definitely took everyone by surprise, Ferrari also made a splash at the 63rd running of the race, with two fundamentally different cars that both left a lasting imprint on the marque's history at Le Mans.
First seen in 1987, the Ferrari F40 was named for and paid tribute to the marque's 40th anniversary. But when Enzo Ferrari passed away on 14 August 1988, the car became the last model built while Il Commendatore was still with us, and as such, immediately found itself at the heart of the explosion in auction price of collectible Ferraris still in effect across the globe today.
The F40's career at the 24 Hours was exceptionally short, with seven cars fielded in just two runnings. In 1995, two of the three on the track made it to the chequered flag, finishing 12th and 18th thanks to Michel Ferté/Olivier Thévenin/Carlos Palau (Pilot Aldix Racing) and Gary Ayles/Massimo Monti/Fabio Mancini (Ennea SRL/Ferrari Club Italia), respectively. The next year, all four F40s were forced to retire.
Though the F40 went all the way for its rookie participation in 1995, the first 333 SP seen at Le Mans the same year climbed to third position in just seven laps before having to retire with engine troubles.
Named in reference to its engine capacity (333 cm3 for each of its 12 cylinders and SP for Speciale Prototipo), the 333 SP was the first Ferrari prototype to take the start since the 312 P entered by Luigi Chinetti's NART in 1974, one year after the last appearance of the factory 312 PB prototypes. The 333 SP is the brainchild of a passionate Italian entrepreneur.
Co-founder of the automotive accessories supplier MoMo (based on the first two letters of Moretti and Monza), Gianpiero Moretti managed to convince Piero Ferrari and Luca di Montezemolo, at the marque's helm at the time, to launch a study for a prototype intended to race on both sides of the Atlantic, at Le Mans as well as in American endurance racing.
In 1996, both 333 SPs at the start were forced to retire, but new research developments relative to the 333 SP would bear fruit in 1997 and 1998 thanks to British engineer Tony Southgate, credited with the winning Jaguars in 1988 and 1990.
Along with fellow countryman Max Papis and Belgian driver Didier Theys, Moretti's determined efforts were rewarded in 1997 with a sixth place finish, the 333 SP's best overall result at the 24 Hours. The following year, the Moretti Racing, Inc. team's car won the LMP1 class and finished sixth overall thanks to Fermín Vélez/Wayne Taylor/Eric van de Poele.
In 1999, the last Ferrari 333 SP seen at Le Mans was fielded by French team JB Racing and retired in the seventh hour with a failed engine. For 20 years, the Italian marque has brilliantly carried on its legacy at the race in the various GT classes. More on that later as part of this Centenary series ahead of the arrival of the Ferrari 499 P Hypercar in just two months!
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO/Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 1995-1999 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: the first 333 SP (#1) seen at the race, in 1995, was driven by René Arnoux/Jay Cochran/Massimo Sigala, and the F40 LM earned its best result in its rookie participation with 12th place for Michel Ferté/Carlos Palau/Olivier Thévenin (#34); Italian team Ennea SRL fielded two F40 LMs in 1995 and three in 1996, pictured here the car shared by Luciano della Noce/Anders Olofsson/Carl Rosenblad (#44), followed by that of Paul Belmondo/Éric Bernard/Jean-Marc Gounon (#45); the Ferrari 333 SPs of Gianpiero Moretti (#3) and the Doyle/Risi team (#12) were the only ones to finish in the overall top 10, with sixth place in 1997 and eighth in 1998, respectively.
