Cars
Bloodlines: Back-to-back Le Mans winners
Between 1960 and 1965, the Prancing Horse was the team to beat in endurance racing, achieving six straight wins at Le Mans with a bloodline of 250 and Testa Rossa-based sports racing models. It’s a feat that continues to be unmatched to this day.
This year, Ferrari arrives as favourite at the world’s most prestigious endurance race, hoping to take a third consecutive Le Mans victory with the modern descendant of those illustrious models – the 499P.
Below we explore the extraordinary cars, drivers and stories that join the dots between Ferrari’s 1960s golden era and the success of today.
Watch the incredible history of Ferrari’s back-to-back Le Mans winners
1960: Ferrari 250 TR 59/60
Ferrari had won Le Mans three times before (in 1949, 1954 and 1958) but the 250 TR 59/60’s victory in 1960 ushered in a six-year run of success. Built on an extended version of the 500 TRC’s tubular spaceframe like Testa Rossa models before it, the 250 TR59/60 evolved – as its name suggests – the ’59 model. Once again it accommodated the proven Colombo 3.0-litre V12 engine, but now it was paired with a new five-speed gearbox, while disc brakes replaced the previous year’s drums.
With 300 bhp (220kW), a dry weight of just 800 kg and Scaglietti’s curvaceous bodywork, the 250 TR 59/60 could reach speeds of 270 km/h. Factory drivers Olivier Gendebien and Paul Frère claimed overall victory at Le Mans, leading a one-two finish ahead of the American NART team’s 250 TR59. The win also secured the World Sportscar Championship, underlining Ferrari’s growing dominance in endurance racing.
The 250 TR 59/60’s 1960 Le Mans victory marked the start of Ferrari’s unmatched six-year winning streak
1961: Ferrari 250 TRI/61
Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien drove the TRI/61 to a commanding victory at the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans, leading a 1-2-3 sweep for Ferrari. The race car was a bigger departure from the previous year’s design than perhaps its name suggests. Bodywork by Fantuzzi replaced the curving lines of earlier Testa Rossas with a sharp-edged, more aerodynamic profile, most notably a distinctive ‘shark nose’ front reminiscent of Ferrari’s 156 F1 car that debuted the same year. Beneath the skin, it retained the proven 3.0-litre V12 and tubular steel spaceframe of earlier models, but new independent rear suspension improved handling – hence the ‘I’ suffix.The 250 TRI/61 introduced sharper aerodynamics and independent rear suspension – and led a Ferrari 1-2-3 at Le Mans 1961
1962: Ferrari 330 TRI/LM
The 330 TRI/LM was the final and most powerful evolution of Ferrari’s front-engined Testa Rossa lineage. A one-off, the 330 TRI/LM’s wheelbase was extended 70mm to 2420 mm and it produced 390bhp (290 kW) from a new 4.0-litre Type 330 V12 – thanks to a rule change that increased engine capacity.At the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans, Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien drove the 330 TRI/LM to Ferrari’s third consecutive win, in the process marking the last overall Le Mans victory for a front-engined car. Behind it, two 250 GTOs completed a dominant 1-2-3 finish for Maranello.
The one-off 330 TRI/LM was the final front-engined Ferrari to win Le Mans, powered by a new 4.0-litre V12
1963: Ferrari 250 P
Following its mid-engined Formula 1 racers, the 250 P became Ferrari’s first sports prototype to place its engine behind the driver, improving weight distribution and balance. It featured sleek bodywork by Pininfarina, weighed just 760 kg dry and was powered by Ferrari’s proven 3.0-litre V12 that was good for 310 cv and 290km/h.At Le Mans, Lorenzo Bandini and Ludovico Scarfiotti drove the 250 P to a commanding victory, finishing 16 laps ahead of the nearest rival. Ferrari cars claimed six of the 12 finishing positions, including third place for another 250 P, in the car’s only Le Mans outing. The win heralded the dawn of the mid-engined era at Le Mans and again powered Ferrari to the Sport-Prototype World Title.
The first ever mid-engined Le Mans winner, the 250 P won by a commanding 16 laps
1964: Ferrari 275 P
The Ferrari 275 P evolved the 250 P with the increased displacement referenced in its name. This was achieved by increasing the cylinder bore 4mm to 77mm (the stroke was unchanged at 58.8mm), creating a high-revving 3.3-litre V12 with 10 cv extra.At Le Mans 1964, Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella drove the 275 P to victory over a record distance, leading a Ferrari 1-2-3 finish with two 330 P models following it home in second and third.
Ferrari secured a 1-2-3 finish for 1964, with the 275 P claiming victory over a record distance
1965: Ferrari 250 LM
The Ferrari 250 LM was conceived to race in the road-based GT car category, but a lack of homologation forced this road-legal model to compete in the prototype class – against faster, purpose-built rivals.
Powered by a 3.3-litre V12 and capable of 287 km/h, the 250 LM essentially took the mechanicals of the 250 P and 275 P and rebodied them in enclosed berlinetta bodywork by Scaglietti.
Its 1964 debut disappointed, but in 1965 a privately entered car from Luigi Chinetti’s NART team, driven by Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory, claimed the overall win at Le Mans. It led a Ferrari 1-2-3, with another 250 LM finishing second. It would be Ferrari’s last Le Mans win before its victorious return to Le Sarthe in 2023.
The 250 LM beat full prototype racers to win Le Mans in 1965 – Ferrari’s last overall win for nearly 60 years
2023 and 2024: Ferrari 499P
When Ferrari returned to Le Mans after a 50-year absence in 2023, many logically expected it to be a learning year. But the 499P won on its debut at Le Sarthe – then proved it was no fluke by winning again in 2024.
Built to Le Mans Hypercar rules that give more freedom than LMdH regulations (which require a spec chassis and hybrid architecture), the 499P features a bespoke carbonfibre monocoque, a compact 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 driving the rear wheels and an electric motor on the front axle for all-wheel drive.
The 499P returned Ferrari to Le Mans glory with back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024
In 2023, the number 51 car driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi won the Centenary race. Last year, the number 50 sister car of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen claimed victory again, winning by just 14 seconds after a day of racing.
With back-to-back wins, the 499P approaches the 2025 race as favourite – and has reignited memories of Ferrari’s golden era at Le Mans 60 years before.