At the 2022 edition of Le Mans Classic the legendary will also be on the track Ferrari 250 GT ‘Breadvan’, so defined for the very particular shape of the rear, a van like a delivery truck. Despite this, this 250 boasted exceptional performance and somehow entered the history of the Cavallino, albeit from the back door.
Breadvan made its first appearance at Le Mans in 1962, with an origin that has its roots in the Ferrari legend. More precisely, from a conflict between Enzo Ferrari’s wife, Laura Domenica Garello, and a group of Maranello engineers with high-sounding names: Carlo Chiti, technical director of the Scuderia, Romolo Tavoni, sports director, and Giotto Bizzarrini. The three ended up founding the company ATS (Automobili Turismo e Sport) and to finance the project they turned to Count Volpi, owner of the Scuderia Serenissima and a faithful Ferrari customer. Enraged, the Commendatore refused to deliver the 2 GTOs ordered by the count. Bizzarrini was assigned the task of remedyingmodifying a used 250 GT with short wheelbase with the help of Piero Drogo’s Sports Cars bodywork to complete the project.
At Le Mans the car was forced to retire at the fourth hour. One might think that this defeat would have rung the death knell for the Breadvan project; instead it was still seen in some races in 1962 and 1963, before becoming the everyday car of Count Volpi. Today it is in perfect condition, in the 1962 Le Mans configuration, after having gone through a series of ups and downs. In addition to the livery changes, there was also a test done by James Garner and Steve McQueen (who ultimately didn’t buy it) and several ownership changes. Today the car belongs to Martin Halusa, collector and lover of vintage racing.
At the event organized in Le Mans by Peter Auto there will also be another historic Ferrari, the 512 BB LM by Alexander Rittweger. Its peculiarity is that it has never raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans, although it was originally designed for this event. The history of this car is intimately linked to that of its owners and mainly to Ron Spangler. This American, passionate about Ferrari – he has owned more than 100 in his entire life – has long been a senior judge at the Ferrari Club of America and has never raced anywhere other than his native territory, three times at 24 Daytona Hours and once at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The flat 12-cylinder 500hp engine in the center-rear position allowed the car to reach speeds of up to 325 km / h. Although designed for the 24 Hours, none of the 512 BB LMs managed to win on the Sarthe track. The current owner talks about it like this: “It is a rather easy Ferrari to drive, more than you can imagine. On the Le Mans circuit I can reach speeds of 320 km / h. For me it is one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever built. From a technical and livery point of view, I have never made any changes. I own a lot of cars, but this is definitely my favorite. The sound of the V12 is simply fabulous“.
(images: ACO)
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