Ferrari 250LM book

[Mark Morrissey]

I bought myself this book by Marcel Massini on the 250LM. Published in 1983, it's got to be the most comprehensive book on the 250LM anywhere.

I was very surprised to find inside this 250LM with it's body converted to Porsche.
Pretty interesting. Wow, this is a cool book.

[Reza]

truth can be stranger than fiction. happy new year Mark !

reza

[Rusty]

Mark, the 250LM has always been my favorite car of all times. I saw my first at a hillclimb in Bellfountaine, OH and then again at the Glen sitting at the curb, driven from Florida.
In 67 or 68 one was offered in the LA Times for 10K. I contacted the seller and tried to trade a TVR Trident and cash, but he wasn't interested. Damn. I still have a picture buried someplace of the one at the Glen.
I doubt that I could have kept it all these years but I can still dream of it.
Rusty

[Flieger]

Curious; why the conversion to Porsche bodywork? More aerodynamic?

[PeterM1965]

As a recovering Ferrari addict and 250LM junkie I can explain why the body was converted. 5899 was crashed and rolled during a rainy hillclimb in late 1965. The remains were bought by Illert who may or may not have shortened the chassis and fitted the Porsche bodywork to it. The car was supposedly 200 kilos lighter with the fiberglass panels (I find this hard to believe since the 250LM was built using very thin alloy panels, so thin in fact that road debris frequently dimples the fender wells). 5899 was eventually sold several times. In 1968 he original engine was swapped to David Piper for a 330P engine, then in 1975 after a series of owners 5899 was reunited with its original engine. The now very tired race car was eventually "restored" with a new body being copied from an unmolested original and repainted in its original Scuderia Filipinetti livery.

[Mark Morrissey]

Thanks for that Peter.

[Flieger]

Thanks for the history. I always loved the 250 and 275LM. Simply beautiful with their original alloy bodywork. And, the song of the ferocious 12 to accompany it.