Auction 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, Chassis no. 6053

1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti
Estimate: $18,000,000 - $20,000,000 USD
Selling on Saturday, 19 August as part of RM Sotheby's Monterey 2023 Auction

CHASSIS NUMBER 6053—A JOURNEY TO LE MANS

Claiming period competition use at Le Mans, as well as a no-cost-barred restoration completed in 2021 by Ferrari Classiche, this breathtaking 250 LM is a particularly desirable example of Maranello’s legendary racecar. Chassis number 6053 is the 22nd example built, and after being finished in the iconic 250 LM livery of Rosso Cina over seats trimmed in Bleu cloth upholstery, the car was delivered in October 1964 to Colonel Ronnie Hoare’s Maranello Concessionaires, the well-known marque distributor and factory-preferred privateer client in Great Britain.

The Ferrari was sold new to British driver George Drummond, and he immediately set about competition on the local BRSCC circuits while occasionally entering larger events worldwide. Early highlights included a class win at Wiscombe Park in April 1965, and four overall wins over the next four months at Brands Hatch, Snetterton (twice), and Silverstone.

In February 1966 the Ferrari was entered at the 24 Hours of Daytona as race #24, to be driven by Innes Ireland, Mike Hailwood, and Drummond. Photos taken at this event demonstrate that by this time, side-marker lights had been mounted high on the door sides. Unfortunately the car was forced to retire after 90 laps with a gearbox failure. Over the following two years, 6053 recorded at least eight more starts, and among these appearances, Ferrari factory driver Michael Parkes took the wheel at the Austrian Grand Prix of September 1966, finishing 3rd in class and 8th overall.

Chassis number 6053 continued campaigning local British races before being entered in four events in Africa during November and December 1967, including the Kyalami 9 Hours. Among these races, the LM roared to a 5th-overall finish at the Lourenço Marques 3 Hours in Mozambique.

In May 1968 Drummond offered the Ferrari for sale and it was acquired by the London-based Paul Vestey Racing, with whom the car would take its greatest stage. Paul Vestey had been campaigning a different 250 LM, the ex-Maranello Concessionaires-run chassis number 6167. David Piper was driving 6167 on the legendarily difficult Targa Florio when a steering arm came loose, forcing the car to careen over a hillside. Though the chassis and body were beyond repair, the engine and transaxle were easily salvaged by removing both components as one unit, as was common practice with these cars in period.

This proved to be quite significant to Vestey, because engine number 6167 had already been approved by the Le Mans scrutineers, as demonstrated by a stamping that remains on the motor today. With the approved engine but no car, Vestey was rapidly in search of a replacement chassis, prompting his purchase of 6053 from George Drummond. After acquiring the berlinetta the owner installed engine number 6167/22LM and transaxle number 17, with his sights firmly locked on the upcoming 24-hour endurance event.

Vestey’s car was one of six Ferrari 250 LM examples entered at the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, which was unusually postponed to September because of nationwide labor strikes. Refinished in a purplish dark blue with a white stripe, and wearing race #19, the Ferrari was piloted at La Circuit du Sarthe by the owner and American driver Roy Pike, and it qualified for a 32nd-place starting position.

Over the first hour on Saturday afternoon 6053 impressively climbed six places to 26th, a position it held through the second hour, when Vestey lost control while attempting to negotiate the Arnage Corner. A spin and shunt ensued that required some minor pit repairs to the car’s rear end. By the time Roy Pike reentered the fray, the LM had dropped to 46th place, though Pike managed to claw back some positioning by advancing to 31st place through the 10th hour.

Then, on the 99th lap, fate caught up to 6053. The gearbox failed and the Ferrari was forced to retire early, prematurely ending Vestey’s quest for triumph at La Sarthe. There was no shame in this result, however, considering that of the 54 cars that began the race a mere 15 of them managed to finish the grueling contest.

AMERICAN RENAISSANCE

Following the conclusion of its European racing career, the 250 LM was sold in April 1969 through the well-known British dealer Colin Crabbe to Richard Merritt of Bethesda, Maryland, one of the co-founders of the Ferrari Club of America. Mr. Merritt quickly resold the berlinetta to Terry Myr of Detroit, who before long entrusted the respected Kirk White Motorcars to sell the car to the equally esteemed dealer Harley Cluxton. In 1971 Cluxton sold the car to Robert Sutherland of Denver, Colorado, and he commissioned a complete restoration three years later, presenting the car at the FCA Meeting at Rockton, Illinois, in May 1975.

In 1983 the Ferrari was acquired by Anthony Podell of Manhattan Beach, California, and he entrusted Mike McCluskey to perform some restoration measures before enjoying the car in vintage racing at the 1987 Chicago Historic, and the 1988 Monterey Historic Races. Later that year the car was sold to a Swiss enthusiast who retained possession for two years before selling the car to the Mitsubishi Corporation in 1990, beginning a new chapter of life in Japan.

Four years later the Ferrari passed to collector Shiroh Kosaka, and he dutifully pampered the 250, sending it in 1999 to be restored by Dino Colognato’s well-known shop in Vigonza, Italy. Mr. Kosaka was a loyal steward of the car for many years, only offering it for sale in 2018 after a remarkable period of 24 years of fastidious care.

In 2018 the 250 LM was purchased by the consignor, one of the country’s most respected collectors of top-shelf vintage Ferrari racecars. The owner soon submitted the car to the Ferrari factory for full restoration and certification by Ferrari Classiche. Completed in 2021, the painstaking refurbishment is documented with an impressive booklet produced by Ferrari that concludes the car is the authentic one driven by Paul Vestey at Le Mans in 1968. As reiterated on the Ferrari Classiche certification, the car continues to retain the engine and transaxle from chassis number 6167, as raced at Le Mans in September 1968.

Following the expert restoration by the ultimate authority on vintage racing Ferraris, 6053 was proudly displayed at the Ferrari Finals at Mugello in November 2021, after which it was exhibited at the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena. In August 2022 the car was presented at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, completing its journey from gritty Le Mans racecar to a celebrated show car.

Documentation for this important Maranello racecar is nothing short of outstanding. The car’s file includes copies of factory build sheets, certificate of origin, and SEFAC invoice; period correspondence from Paul Vestey; period expense notes made by Carrozzeria Sports Cars’ Franco Zucchi; Carnet de Passages and related 1968 Le Mans paperwork; signed statements of fact by Sir Paul Vestey and marque experts Marcel Massini and Brooke Betz; numerous period racing photographs that include detailed analysis of the car’s evolution; former owners’ correspondence, including emails to Dino Colognato’s son; and the impressive factory-issued summary of the recent restoration by Ferrari Classiche (not to mention the Red Book, itself).

It should be noted that unlike most seriously campaigned 250 LM examples, chassis number 6053 is believed to have never suffered a significant accident, and it retains its matching-numbers chassis and coachwork, as well as the engine and transaxle utilized at the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, as clarified by the Ferrari Classiche Red Book. It is also worth considering that the LM is one of the legendary three racing models of this period, alongside the 250 GTO and Testa Rossa. Yet of these three models, investment into the ranks of LM ownership is available at a comparative fraction of the price, making acquisition of this important example a relative bargain into the most exclusive Ferrari racing pantheon.

This phenomenal 250 LM abounds in fascinating race-equipped details, from the six huge Weber 38 DCN carburetors topped with velocity stacks and enclosed in a cold air box, to the alloy Borrani wire wheels and the correct Rosso Cina paint over Bleu cloth upholstery. The important competition Ferrari furthermore represents a significant design benchmark in Maranello’s engineering history while claiming legitimate Le Mans racing experience. Capped with the fastidious Ferrari Classiche restoration and certification, this highly desirable 250 LM checks all the metaphorical boxes, offering a rare opportunity for dedicated marque collectors to acquire one of Maranello’s most treasured models.

For a full history file, as well as an extensive photoset, please visit: https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo23/monterey/lots/r0034-1960-ferrari-250-gt-swb-california-spider-by-scaglietti/1345998?utm_source=Forum&utm_medium=FerrariChat&utm_campaign=MO23_r0034_Forum