Ferrari 250 LM sells for record price

For the last two years, Le Mans has once again been a conquering ground for Ferrari, which won the 2023 and 2024 editions of the famous 24-hour race with the 499P, breaking a drought that had lasted since 1965. That was the year that the Ferrari 250 LM - chassis 5893 - took the chequered flag first at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

A car that would end its racing career a few years later, only to end up in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, where it was cared for and pampered until a few days ago, when it became the absolute star of the auction organised by RM Sotheby's in the Salles du Carrousel, inside the Louvre Palace, thanks to the price it fetched: €34,880,000 (around £29 million). RM Sotheby's estimated it would sell for €25 million (£20.1 million). This is a new record for a Ferrari 250 LM.

How Maranello made it

A figure justified by many factors, certainly the title it won at Le Mans 24 in 1965 makes it special, but that's not enough. To become something more, you need impeccable aesthetics and completely original mechanics. The Ferrari 250 LM has all these qualities.

Ferrari 250 LM

Photo by: Ferrari

Spending decades in a museum has allowed it to retain its former splendour without anyone thinking of repainting it or, worse still, modifying the engine and gearbox. As a result, the 1964 Rossa di Maranello is one of the few cars to boast 'matching numbers' from the engine and gearbox. Everything is exactly as it was designed 61 years ago.

The 3.3-litre V12 engine, increased from the original 3.0 litres, is fitted with six Weber 38/40 DCN carburettors and produces 320 PS at 7,500 rpm, giving a top speed of 178 mph.

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