Historic Ferrari 250 LM, winner of 1965 Le Mans, sells for €34.88 million in Paris. The Ferrari 250 LM that triumphed at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans has been sold for an astounding €34,880,000 .

In a momentous occasion for automotive enthusiasts and collectors worldwide, the Ferrari 250 LM that triumphed at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans has been sold for an astounding €34,880,000 (approximately R667,742,022) in Paris, breaking multiple records in the process.

This sale cements the Ferrari 250 LM as the most expensive Le Mans-winning car ever to be auctioned, surpassing all previous records. It also holds the title of the highest-priced Ferrari sold at a public auction outside of the iconic GTO series. This particular 250 LM, bearing chassis number 5893, is a monumental piece of motorsport history. As the sixth of just 32 units ever produced between 1963 and 1965, it was initially delivered to Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART), marking its entry into the racing world. Piloted by Masten Gregory and the future Formula 1 World Champion Jochen Rindt, this Ferrari achieved a miraculous overall victory at the 1965 edition of Le Mans. This victory not only solidified Ferrari’s dominance in endurance racing, marking their sixth consecutive win at the legendary event, but it also stood as the marque’s final overall victory at Le Mans until their much-anticipated return in 2023.

What makes this triumph particularly remarkable is that it was the only time a Ferrari entered by a private team claimed the overall victory at Le Mans. Originally developed as a coupé version of the Ferrari 250 P, the 250 LM was intended to replace the 250 GTO as Ferrari’s top contender in the GT-class. However, the car was denied homologation for the Group 3 GT class by the FIA due to its limited production numbers. As a result, the 250 LM was reclassified and ultimately competed in the prototype category, where it would go on to make its historic mark.

Following its victorious racing career, chassis 5893 was acquired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1970, where it would remain untouched for over fifty years. Throughout its time in the museum’s collection, the car was meticulously preserved, maintaining its original matching-numbers engine and gearbox, ensuring its authenticity. When the hammer finally fell in Paris, the 250 LM not only achieved a new auction record but also reaffirmed its legendary status, cementing its place as an enduring symbol of Ferrari’s rich and illustrious racing heritage.