Artcurial to offer 1964 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 275 P at Rétromobile

There can’t be many rabbits left in the Artcurial hat, but Matthieu Lamoure’s team has pulled one out for next February’s Paris sale. Not only is it a Ferrari sports prototype that won at Le Mans, it’s the last-ever factory entry to triumph at La Sarthe.
 
For Ferrari collectors – billionaires only, please – it’s in holy of holies territory and comes out of long-term ownership by that passionate French marque enthusiast, the late Pierre Bardinon. Artcurial sold Bardinon’s 1957 Ferrari 335 S for 31,396,000 euros with premium ($35.1m on the day) in 2016. This 275 P, chassis 0816, was raced by the Scuderia in 1963 as a 250 P before an extensive rebuild and update for 1964 when it was Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella’s winning mount at Le Mans.
 
As a private (N.A.R.T.) 250 LM won in 1965 – Ferrari’s final overall victory – ‘0816’ was the last Works Ferrari to take the chequered flag at Le Mans.
 
Ferrari sold the car soon afterwards and it appeared in North American events including the Sebring 12 Hours as late as 1969. It entered the Mas du Clos collection afterwards and comes direct from the estate of the leather and fur magnate, the owner of Chapal. The company’s clients included the American military, and bomber and flying jackets were manufactured in a Chapal factory in Brooklyn from 1880 to 1970.
 
The irony is that the new owner will just miss the fun and fanfare of Ferrari’s 70th, but there’s always the 70th anniversary of Maranello’s first win at Le Mans in 2019. Its lack of usability on the road will count against it but the target market is, in any case, likely to have a 250 Testa Rossa, Comp’ SWB or GTO on hand as a ‘daily’.
 
We would have expected an estimate of $25m+ but Artcurial is quoting a whopping 28-35m euros, plus its eye-watering buyer’s premium. To put that in context, it equals a total of $37m to $46m for the buyer. Artcurial will have its work cut out…
 
Photo by Getty Images