Ferrari 250 LM

Berlinetta Speciale 

In 1965 , the year of the victory of 250 LM at Le Mans, Pininfarina prepared a special version of this car. The 250 LM Berlinetta Speciale, so it was called, was presented at the Motor Show Geneva the same year. The main differences were the large rear window in plexiglas , covering the engine compartment instead of the existing rear cover plate, the vents on the rear wheel arches, which were covered by a grille and the addition of small beaks bumper chrome . The car adopted the livery of the team NART , a white with a blue stripe.

Specifications 

The 250 LM presented at the Paris Motor Show featured a V12 from 2953.2 cc of displacement , the same used by the 250 GTO and the Red Head . But in the following examples the displacement was increased to 3285.7 cm³, so that some sources erroneously reported his name as 275 Le Mans  , following the traditional code designations berlinetta Ferrari. The power was entrusted to 6 carburetors 38DCN of Weber with 2 electric pumps. The engine was mounted longitudinally and centrally located, and the exchange , 5-speed, was also longitudinal and cantilever mounted behind the engine itself. The power was 320 hp .

PERFORMANCE: 3.3L

• Engine capacity: 200.49 cu in, 3,285.722 cu cm
• Fuel consumption: 12.8 m/imp gal, 10.7 m/US gal, 22 1 x 100 km
• Power-weight ratio: 6 lb/hp, 2.7 kg/h
• Max power (DIN): 320 hp at 7,500 rpm
• Max torque (DIN): 232 1b ft, 32 kg m at 5,500 rpm
• Max number of engine rpm: 7,500
• Specific power: 97.4 hp/l
• Max speed: 180.1 mph, 290 km/h
• Max speeds: 80.8 mph, 130 km/h in 1st gear; 114.3 mph, 184km/h in 2nd gear; 142.2 mph, 229 km/h in 3rd gear; 161.5 mph, 260 km/h in 4th gear; 180.1 mph, 290 km/h in 5th gear

The frame was trellis tube steel . The suspensions , or front the rear, were double wishbone with independent wheels, the shock absorbers were hydraulic with spring coil.

As already mentioned, the racing career of the Ferrari 250 LM was affected by the non-approval of the Gran Turismo , so the car was registered in Class Prototypes coaches over 3.0 liters (only the car with the chassis no. 5149 of NART, with the engine 3 liter, was recorded under Prototypes coaches within 3.0 liters  ), going to confront cars specifically designed for competitions, such as the Ferrari 250 P (and their derivatives), theMaserati Tipo 151 and the Iso Grifo A3C , as well as with other GT not yet approved, such as the Ford GT40 .

Despite this he obtained the first and second place at the 12 Hours of Reims of 1964 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans of 1965 (latest success of Ferrari in the French marathon), the same year won the 500 km of Spa and in ' following year won the 1000 km of Paris . The 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1966 five 250 LM finished among the top 10, but neither took the podium. The car won the last race in 1967 .

The 250 LM this found a lot of success among the private teams, and even the two cars that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans belonged both to private teams, precisely that came first to the American team NART and that finished second at the Francorchamps Belgian team.

Achievements 

• July 5, 1964: 12 Hours of Reims ; Hill / Bonnier
• September 13, 1964: 500 miles of Elkhart Lake ; Hansgen / Pabst
• 31 October 1964: 9 Hours Rand ( Circuit Kyalami ); Piper / Tony Maggs
• May 16, 1965: 500 km of Spa , Willy Mairesse
• June 7, 1965: 6 Hours of Perth; Spencer Martin
• 19 to 20 June 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans ; Rindt / Gregory / Hugus 
• October 16, 1966: 1,000 km of Paris; Piper / Parkes