1967 Ferrari '250 LM Replica' Coupe

Description

Ferrari’s 250 LM was a direct replacement for the legendary front-engined GTO, aimed squarely at the factory supported concessionaire teams and gentleman drivers who competed alongside the works sports-racers at events like the Le Mans 24-Hours.  Based on the mid-engined 1963 250P but with the tubular space frame chassis modified for the roof structure, the LM was ostensibly built for the GT category but the FIA refused homologation on the basis as the required 100 units hadn’t been made, forcing owners to race the car in the prototype class.  Although the first 250 LM was powered by a development of the classic Colombo-designed 3-litre V12 engine, subsequent production cars all used the same 3.3-litre version found in the 1964 275P, mated to a five-speed transaxle along with disc brakes on all four wheels, rack and pinion steering and fully independent double wishbone suspension.  Ferrari built only 32 examples and the 250 LM’s crowning achievement was winning the 1965 Le Mans 24-Hours when co-drivers Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory unexpectedly took out the French endurance classic after the works cars all fell by the wayside.  Entered by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team, other 250 LMs were campaigned by Maranello Concessionaires, Ecurie Francorchamps and the Scuderia Filipinetti while David McKay and Spencer Martin famously raced the Scuderia Veloce LM (chassis 6321) here in Australia, a car now part of Ralph Lauren’s incredible collection in North America.  The 250 GTO may be the most valuable Ferrari on the planet today but the 250 LM still commands a serious price tag, routinely selling for seven figures.  Needless to say there have been many attempts at building replicas of the LM, ranging from exacting ‘tool room’ copies to ‘tribute’ cars like the example offered here, a car that evokes the spirit of the real thing without any pretensions of being the real thing.