1949: Luigi Chinetti's gut feeling – A two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner with Alfa Romeo in 1932 and 1934, Chinetti became Enzo Ferrari's right-hand man for the marque's development in the U.S. The Commendatore felt reticent to enter his 166 MM in the race, but Chinetti tempted fate and his teammate Lord Selsdon entered the car under his own name. The duo won the 1949 edition, marking the renaissance of the 24 Hours after a nine-year hiatus due to World War II.

1949-1965: 13 drivers for nine wins – Ferrari's victories between 1949 and 1965 were won by (in chronological order) Luigi Chinetti, Lord Selsdon, José Froilán González, Maurice Trintignant, Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill, Paul Frère, Lorenzo Bandini, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Jean Guichet, Nino Vaccarella, Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt.

1958-1962: "King" Gendebien – Among those 13 drivers, the Belgian is the only multiple winner at the 24 Hours with Ferrari. To top that off, with four victories, Gendebien held the win record at the race for nearly two decades, from 1962 to 1981.

1954: Maurice Trintignant, the French pioneer – Along with Argentinian driver José Froilán González, Trintignant was the first Frenchman to win Le Mans at the wheel of a Ferrari, then again in Formula 1 one year later in Monaco, again with the Italian marque.

1960: Paul Frère, driver/journalist – Well-known as an auto racing writer, Frère was just as successful behind the wheel. To keep a promise made to his wife, he retired as a driver after his win at the 1960 24 Hours and the joy of driving the car under the checkered flag.

1962-1963: Put it in the back! – First hesitant, Enzo Ferrari ended up agreeing to rear engines in cars considered win contenders at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1962, the 330 TRI of Olivier Gendebien/Phil Hill clinched the last victory for a front-engine prototype at the race. The following year, the 250 P of Italian duo Lorenzo Bandini/Ludovico Scarfiotti became the first rear-engine car to win Le Mans.

1962-1964: GTO, an iconic acronym – Presented in February 1962, this avatar for the road 250 GT reached the podium three times in two years (second in 1962 and 1963, third in 1962) and made it inot the top 10 four times (fifrth in 1963 and 1964, sixth and ninth in 1964). Now, its short career, rarity and track record make the Ferrari 250 GTO one of the most expensive collection cars in the world, all marques considered.

1963: Ferrari to the power of 24! – The most coveted racing number at Le Mans, Ferrari gave the 24 its best result at the race, a second place finish thanks to Belgian drivers Jean Blaton (a.k.a. "Beurlys") and Gérald Langlois von Ophem.

1964: Jean Guichet, the "Dean" – The second French driver to win Le Mans with Ferrari, exactly 10 years after Maurice Trintignant, Guichet is the current dean of previous 24 Hours winners still with us. He was born on 10 August 1927.

1964: The "gentlemen winners" – The winning driver line-up that year was an extremely impressive group of gentlemen drivers boasting a level similar to professionals. At the time, Jean Guichet ran a shipyard in his hometown of Marseille and his teammate, Sicilian driver Nino Vaccarella, was a mathematics professor in a private school in Palermo.

1965: Luigi Chinetti comes full circle – The winning Ferrari 250 LM of Masten Gregory/Jochen Rindt was not fielded by the factory, but by North American Racing Team (NART), Chinetti's team. After winning as a driver Ferrari's first victory at Le Mans 16 years earlier, he won the last of the marque's wins to date as a team owner.

1967: 330 P4, another number for the books – At the height of its duel with Ford at the 24 Hours, Ferrari entered one of its most stunning prototypes, the memorable P4. The car finished second (Mike Parkes/Ludovico Scarfiotti) and third (Jean Blaton/Willy Mairesse) behind the winning Ford, and Parkes/Scarfiotti covered the most kilometers ever with a Ferrari at Le Mans.

 

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO ARCHIVES): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. Top: the Ferrari 250 GTO second in 1963 boasting the number 24. Below: the first Ferrari to win Le Mans, the 166 MM is one of the gems of the 24 Hours Museum adjacent to the circuit.