Santa Fe Concorso Best in Show Sport (L) and Elegance (R). Photo by Garret Vreeland, courtesy Santa Fe Concorso.
The North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T) 1964 Ferrari 250 LM carrying number 21 in a white meatball shouldn’t have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965, but it did. The perseverance (and stamina) of drivers Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt played a role, as did the durability of the car’s Type 211 V-12 engine. On Sunday, September 27, the red Ferrari coupe added a win of a different kind to its resume, earning Best in Show Sport honors at this year’s Santa Fe Concorso in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Qualifying for the 1965 race was dominated by the Mark II Ford GT40s entered by Shelby American, which boasted massive (and thirsty) 7.0-liter V-8s. Ferrari’s P2 prototypes performed well, too, making the 250 LM seem like a longshot even before the race began. Car number 21, the 250 LM driven by Gregory and Rindt to victory, didn’t even qualify in the top 10, yet no endurance race is won on the opening laps.
1964 Ferrari 250 LM.
Starting from the 11th position on the grid, Gregory and Rindt did what they could to save the car and avoid trouble on the Circuit de la Sarthe, but as Auto Ink relates, their race was hardly trouble-free. Electrical problems during the night forced a 20-minute repair, and the N.A.R.T. 250 LM eventually rejoined the contest in 18th place.
Slicing through the field required pushing the car’s 3.3-liter, 320 horsepower V-12 beyond its design limits, and by the next morning the car was within seconds of the leading Ferrari 275 LM, entered by Ecurie Francorchamps.
This time, bad luck chose another target. With less than four hours remaining, the 275 LM blew a tire on the Mulsanne Straight, forcing a series of pit stops to effect repair. Gregory and Rindt took the lead, and at 4:00 p.m. the checkered flag waved on Ferrari’s last overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (though, in fairness, Maranello’s finest have delivered numerous class wins in the decades since).
The Ferrari 250 LM would go on to win at Daytona the following year, and would run again at Le Mans in 1968 and 1969 without significant success. Acquired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1970, number 21 has also been seen at the Monterey Historics, the Petersen Museum’s Ferrari at 50 exhibit, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
1936 Delahaye Type 135 Competition.
The Best in Show Elegance award went to the Figoni et Falaschi-bodied 1936 Delahaye Type 135 disappearing-top convertible owned by Ken and Ann Smith of La Jolla, California. Purchased in 2004, the Smiths spent the next year and a half researching the car, before updating a restoration carried out in the early 1990s by a former owner. Under the Smith’s ownership, the Delahaye has racked up an impressive 16 Best in Show awards, dating back to 2004, and has appeared at such prestigious events as the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, the Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance and The Quail – A Motorsport gathering.
For a complete list of winners from Santa Fe, visit SantaFeConcorso.com.
More gadget review in www.mamaktalk.com