The Ferrari P (Posteriore) was a series of V12 rear mid-engined two seat Group 6 sports prototype racing car models produced by Ferrari from 1963 to 1973, to be raced mainly by the factory Scuderia Ferrari racing team. When a double digit number of identical cars was planned for Group 4 Sportscar homologation and sale to customers, the codes LM (Le Mans as in 250LM) or S (Sportscar, as in Dino 206S and 512S) were used instead.
Although Enzo Ferrari witnessed the rear mid-engined Auto Union racing cars of the 1930s, and with Cooper dominating F1 with back-to-back World Championship wins, 1959 and 1960, he resisted to move his V12 engines behind the driver. This even after Scuderia Ferrari put the Dino V6 engine in the rear of a single-seater, resulting in the Ferrari 246 P and the Ferrari 156 F1 "shark nose" that won the 1961 Formula One season.
The Dino V6 with 2.0 or 2.4 litres was also used in the first rear mid-engined Ferrari sport prototypes of the Ferrari SP series of 1961–1962. The 3 litres-plus V12 sports car racers followed in 1963, starting the P series. Although these cars shared their numerical designations (based on engine displacement) with road models, they were almost entirely different.
The production racers Ferrari 250 LM of 1964 and Ferrari Dino 206S of 1966 were intended for homologation in Groups 3 or 4, but Ferrari did built too few and homologation was denied, or in case of the 250LM, delayed by years. They could be made road legal, to be run with Prova plates, or as 'Stradale' for sale to customers in various countries. The first Ferrari mid-engine in a proper road car did not arrive until the 1967 Dino 206 GT, and it was 1971 when a road-going Ferrari 12-cylinder engine was placed behind the driver in the 365 GT4 BB, with V12 front engine GT 2+2 models never been discontinued.
250 P Ferrari produced a few of the V12 rear-engine 250 P in 1963 in response to the FIA introducing a prototype class for the upcoming season of the World Sportscar Championship. This was a new design, with a chassis unrelated to existing V12 3 litre front engine 250 GT-series Grand Touring cars that culminated in the Ferrari 250 GTO that were made and sold by the dozens. Designed by Mauro Forghieri, the 250 P was an open cockpit mid-engined rear wheel drive design, utilizing a tubular space-frame chassis, double wishbone suspension, rack and pinion steering, four wheel disc brakes and a longitudinally-mounted V12 engine with a 5-speed gearbox and transaxle. The 250 Testa Rossa-type single-cam 3.0-litre engine was supplied by six Weber 38 DCN carburetors and produced 310 bhp at 7,500 rpm. This was the first time a V12 engine was mounted in the rear of a Ferrari sports racing car.
The 250 P achieved immediate success on the racetrack, winning the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, 1000 km Nürburgring, and Canadian Grand Prix. The cars were raced by Scuderia Ferrari in Europe and NART in the Americas. Notable drivers included John Surtees, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Willy Mairesse, Lorenzo Bandini and Pedro Rodriguez.
In total Ferrari produced four 250 P chassis (serial numbers 0810, 0812, 0814 and 0816) and one development mule based on a Ferrari 246 SP chassis (number 0796). All 250 P chassis were converted to 275 P or 330 P specification following the 1963 racing season.
275 P and 330 P For the 1964 season, Ferrari developed the 275 P and 330 P. These were improved versions of the 250 P with larger displacement engines and slightly modified bodywork. The tubular space-frame chassis and most other components remained the same as in the 250 P. The 275 P used a bored-out 3.3L version of the 250 Testa Rossa-type engine originally utilized by the 250 P. The 330 P used a different design, a 4.0L Colombo-designed V12 based on engines used in the 400 Superamerica road cars. The 330 P developed more power than the 275 P (370 bhp vs 320 bhp) but weighed more (785 kg vs 755 kg). Some drivers preferred the extra power of the 330 P while others appreciated the more nimble feel of the 275 P and the two models were raced concurrently. Production of these types included three brand new chassis and conversions of all four 250 P chassis. It is not possible to clearly determine the number of chassis produced with each engine type as 275 and 330 engines were swapped as needed between cars. 275 P and 330 P cars were actively and successfully raced by Scuderia Ferrari, NART and Maranello Concessionaires during 1964 and 1965 seasons. The most notable result was a 1-2-3 sweep at the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Scuderia Ferrari-run 275 P driven by Guichet and Vaccarella took first, followed by a Maranello Concessionaires 330 P (Hill/Bonnier) in second and a Scuderia Ferrari 330 P (Bandini/Surtees) in third.
Racing Results (key) +YearEntrantChassisSEBTGANÜRLMS1963 S.E.F.A.C.08100812081408161964 S.E.F.A.C.0812081608200822 N.A.R.T.0810 Maranello Concessionaires0818
250 LM
At the November 1963 Paris Auto Show, Ferrari introduced the Ferrari 250 LM (Le Mans). It was developed as a coupé version of the 250 P and was ostensibly a new production car intended to meet FIA homologation requirements for the Group 3 GT class, 100 cars. The intention was for the mid-engine 250 LM to replace the aging front-engine 250 GTO as Ferrari's premier GT-class racer for customers. However, in April 1964 the FIA refused to homologate the model, as Ferrari had built considerably fewer than the required 100 units, and no similar earlier models to count in as with the GTO. The 250 LM thus had to run in the prototype class until it was homologated in late 1965 as a Group 4 Sports Car (minimum 50 units in 12 months) for the 1966 season.
32 total 250 LM chassis were built from 1963 to 1965, with all but the first chassis (s/n 5149, the Paris Auto Show car with a 250 P engine) powered by 3.3-litre 320 bhp (238 kW) engines as used in the 275 P. According to Ferrari naming convention, the 3.3 litre cars should have been designated "275 LM", however Enzo Ferrari insisted that the name remain 250 LM in order to facilitate the homologation process. The 250 LM shared fully independent double wishbone suspension, rack and pinion steering, four wheel disc brakes and 5-speed transaxle with the 250 P, however the tubular space frame chassis was significantly strengthened with the roof structure, additional cross-bracing and heavier gauge tubing. The interior was trimmed out as a nod to the ostensible production status of the car, but ultimately it was little different from a prototype racer.
The 250 LM was successfully raced around the world by both factory-supported and privateer racers. Unlike the 250/275/330 P cars, new 250 LMs were sold to private customers and campaigned by privateer teams. From 1964 through 1967, 250 LMs were raced by Scuderia Ferrari, NART, Maranello Concessionaires, Ecurie Filipinetti, Ecurie Francorchamps and others, even when this model was no longer competitive with the latest factory prototypes. Notably, a 250 LM (chassis 5893) entered by the North American Racing Team won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans driven by Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory. This would be Ferrari's last overall victory in the endurance classic until the Ferrari 499P won the 2023 race. This car is now owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and was displayed at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.
The 250 LM is highly sought after by serious auto collectors and individual cars are often featured at auctions, car shows and historic racing events. 250 LMs typically sell for more than US$10 million and auction records for this model have been repeatedly broken in the past 10 years.
275 P2 and 330 P2 Two entirely new cars, the 275 P2 and 330 P2, followed in 1965. Featuring lower and lighter chassis and more aerodynamic body, the cars were paired with revamped versions of the previous 275 and 330 V12, now equipped with four camshafts and producing 350 hp and 410 hp, respectively. The 330 P2 was first used by Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (NART) in the Daytona race that year. In 1965 275 P2 0836 won the 1000 km of Monza, 275 P2 0828 won the Targa Florio, 330 P2 0828 won the Nurburgring 1000 km, and 365 P2 0836 or 0838 won the 12 hr. Reims. The P2 cars were replaced by the P3 for 1966.
275 P2 In many publications, the 275 P2 is equated with the Ferrari 330 P2 , a circumstance that is avoided here with good reason. This separation is carried out in all result lists of international sports car races, since the two types of car differ significantly in terms of engine performance, triggered by the displacement size of the 12-cylinder engine.
The 275 P2 no longer had a classic space frame. As practiced from 1963 with the Ferrari Formula 1 monoposto racing car, a self-supporting body made of riveted aluminium sheets was manufactured by Carrozzeria Fantuzzi. The rear suspension was carried over from the Formula 1 Ferrari 158. Unlike the previous 275 model, the 275 P2 had wider rims and tubeless Dunlop racing tyres. Power was transmitted via a newly developed 5-speed gearbox.
The 275 P2 received a new V12 engine with four overhead camshafts. The engine had six twin Weber carburetors and two spark plugs per cylinder. While the displacement of the 330 P2 was 4 liters, this type had the 3.3-liter variant. The specified engine output was 350 hp @ 7200 rpm.
The 275 P2 made its track debut in April 1965 on the test day of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first race was two weeks later at the 1000 km race in Monza, which ended with a victory for the driver pairing Mike Parkes/Jean Guichet. The next victory followed two weeks later; Nino Vaccarella and Lorenzo Bandini won the Targa Florio.
At the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring, Parkes and Guichet were beaten only by teammates John Surtees and Ludovico Scarfiotti in the more powerful 330 P2. The last time a 275 P2 was used, was in August 1965, when Giampiero Biscaldi finished third in the Ollon-Villars Hillclimb.
330 P2 In many publications, the 330 P2 is equated with the Ferrari 275 P2, which is probably wrong. Because in all result lists of international sports car races, the types are separated because they differ significantly in terms of engine power and displacement of the 12-cylinder engines.
The 330 P2 no longer had a classic space frame. As practiced from 1963 with the Ferrari Formula 1 monoposto racing car, a self-supporting body made of riveted aluminium sheets was developed. It was made by Carrozzeria Fantuzzi. The rear suspension was carried over from the Ferrari 158 Formula One car. Unlike the previous 330 models, the 330 P2 had wider rims and tubeless Dunlop racing tires. The power was transmitted via a newly developed 5-speed gearbox.
The 330 P2 received a new V12 engine (bank angle 60°) with four overhead camshafts. The engine had six twin Weber carburetors and two spark plugs per cylinder. While the displacement of the 275 P2 was 3.3 liters, this type had the 4-liter variant or 3969 cm3 (bore 77 mm, stroke 71 mm). The engine output was 410 hp at 8200 rpm (according to other sources 420 hp at 8000 rpm). According to Ferrari, the car weighed around 820 kg dry and had a wheelbase of 2400 mm.
The 330 P2 made its racing debut in the 1965 World Sportscar Championship. At the first race of the year, the Daytona 2000 km race, chassis 0838 was entered for John Surtees and Pedro Rodríguez. Surtees set the best lap time in practice with a time of 2:00.600 minutes. The time corresponds to an average speed of 183.032 km/h. In the race, the car retired after 116 laps due to damage to the rear axle. The vehicle had been in the lead almost all the time until it retired. A 330 P2, this time chassis 0828, was also the fastest vehicle on the test day for the 24-hour race in Le Mans.