RM Sotheby’s, the next November 13th will be auctioned off 330LM/250GTO frame number 3765, we are talking about an estimate of 60 million dollars. The news of the event was widely reported in the press, my instinctive bond with this model, born in childhood and consolidated in adulthood, encouraged me to take a virtual tour around this machine.
The context
The ’62 World Manufacturers’ Championship was contested with GT cars up to 3 litres, with a separate classification for Prototypes, although this was an important category at Le Mans. Ferrari had prepared for the GTs with the 250 GTO, for the Prototypes with various cars among which the 4 Liter 330LM and 330 TR stood out in terms of power. We will therefore focus on GTOin the variant 330LMmodel ’62, i.e. the initial one with the shape universally Note. 35 were built with that bodywork, 32 were fitted with the 3-litre engine (type 168), therefore 250 in the acronym (unit displacement) category GT and 3 the 4 liters (type 163), 330 in the acronym, 2 in the prototype category and one homologated. There 3765 it was part of one of the 2 prototypes (the one that was approved is shown in the photos in this article), Ferrari identified it with the acronym 330LM. Let’s start with the sporting results, limiting ourselves to the races of international importance in the first year, where it was deployed officially: 1000 km of the Nurburgring on 27/05, with Mairesse-Parkes he obtained the class victory and 2nd place overall; 24 hours of Le Mans on 24/06, events were not as favorable with the Bandini-Parkes crew, a problem with the radiator (damaged in a collision) caused overheating which forced them to retire in the 6th hour of the race. It should be noted that someone raised doubts about the first result, pointing out the different position of the front lights between the car that won at the Nurburgring and the one that then raced at Le Mans. The apparent lack of motivation for such a modification and the short time elapsed between the 2 races made them lean towards another hypothesis: 2 distinct cars, the 3673 at the Nurburgring and the 3765 at Le Mans. Minority hypothesis, which has nevertheless fueled the discussion for years even with apparently detailed reasons; considering now that RM Sotheby’s has listed the victory in Germany in the palmares of 3765 and that he probably took his information directly from Ferrari, I would say that the question can be considered clarified.
The Colombo project
Returning to the technical aspects, in Maranello the large 12 cylinders traditionally derived from the Lampredi project (long block), but it was changing, in 1960 the 163 type was created to be mounted on the road-going 400 Super America. It broke with tradition because it was made along the lines of the more compact 3-litre type 168, Colombo project: the intervention mainly concerned the sizing of the A/C cylinders (77mm/71mm) and the consequent adaptation of the monobloc and heads; visually few changes: slightly higher, 18 bolts (instead of 14) for tightening the tappet cover, supports for fixing to the frame aligned with the 3rd cylinder instead of the 2nd and some other small differences in the arrangement of the accessories.
For the ’62 racing cars this was therefore the 4 Liter used as the basis. In general, for the individual chassis numbers, there were frequent variations (chassis and engine) deriving from the customer’s customization needs, the availability of suppliers, ongoing improvements, etc. 330LM n°3765 was configured as follows: engine in the racing version called 163/566 or 163LM, with various modifications it delivered 390hp, from the 340hp of the series, and was also mounted on the 330 TR which won at Le Mans in ’62; chassis with the specifications of the 250 (type 539/62), plus others necessary to house the larger engine with an extra 100hp: wheelbase lengthened by 20mm, anti-roll bars increased to 18mm, different positioning of the engine mounts and then other variations related to the chassis, larger 10 liter tank, specific 4-speed gearbox and 15″ rims but with wider channel (½” or 1″); the bodywork with few elements to distinguish it from a 250: apart from the imperceptible differences due to the wheelbase, a pair of small vents (D-shaped like the front ones) for venting hot air downstream of the front fenders and a central bulge on the more pronounced bonnet. Going back to the history of the car, in ’64 it was purchased by Ferdinando Latteri who asked Ferrari to fit a 250 engine and its 5-speed gearbox in order to participate in Italian GT races (up to 3000cc), in particular in hill climbs in Sicily. There were then various changes of ownership until 1985, when it was purchased by Jim Jaeger, last owner. Jaeger subsequently began a long restoration to bring the car back to the configuration it had at Le Mans ’62. Over the years it has also tracked down a 4-litre 163 type engine, for a period it also fitted it but now it has returned to being equipped with the 3-litre it had in ’64, it’s history repeating itself; RM Sotheby’s in fact it identifies the car as 330LM/250GTO confirming the events of the time.
A final note
As already highlighted, the information, data and acronyms available from books, the internet and magazines sometimes do not match: I have tried to distill them through cross-references and qualified sources. In such an artisanal field, with the continuous proliferation of modifications, customizations and repairs from racing accidents, classifying and archiving the interventions was not easy, just enough was needed for the internal organization which then also counted on the memory of the individuals. The rapid obsolescence of the racing models also made people think that the related documentation would not be useful for long… on the contrary, charm and sporting events would have made these cars legendary, it was just a matter of waiting: they would not have ended up as scrap, after all a fate befallen a few Ferraris, but over time they would even have been “venerated in the paradise of enthusiasts”. That’s all for now.
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