Ferrari 275P 0816: The Only Ferrari to Have Won Le Mans Twice
by Keith Bluemel
“There had been rumblings from the FIA about placing the emphasis on GT cars in endurance races, as opposed to the sports racing cars that had dominated the scene for many years. They wanted the cars being seen on the racetracks to be more in line with those that one would encounter on the roads. This shift in policy was initially implemented for the 1962 season, after the FIA had charged the Commission Sportive Internationale with restructuring the regulations to bring this about.
The race organisers didn’t greet the proposed regulations favourably . . .”
Ferrari answered that call with the 250P model, introduced in 1963 and later uprated to 275P spec. Ferraris had won Le Mans nine times between 1949 and 1965 but none of their chassis had ever done it twice so the reason this car, 0816, is exceptional is right in the subtitle. Except, this remarkable fact did not become known until 2018.
The opening quote continues thusly: “. . ., expressing concern that the relatively sedate-looking cars wouldn’t generate enthusiam amongst racegoers . . .” Nothing sedate about this one!
For decades the record books listed chassis 0816, the car at the center of this book, as the 1964 Le Mans winner and the 1963 winner as chassis 0814. The chassis tag and the paperwork proved it. The thing is, that year 0814 had been severely damaged three weeks earlier at the Nürburgring so instead of scrambling to stitch it back together for Le Mans, Ferrari subbed in sister car 0816—but didn’t tell anyone outside the firm!
There were 93 entrants for the 1963 Nürburgring race of which 67 actually started. All five entrants in the 3L Prototype class were Ferraris. One made P1, another P2—and two ended up crumpled. 0814 on the left during practice, 0810 on the right during the race. 0810 was easier to repair for Le Mans so you can see the gears turning at Ferrari: why not just put a new 250P into service and tell everyone it’s the rebuilt 0814?
Ferrari’s internal paperwork did record the swap but somehow this subterfuge did not get out and then became forgotten until the car was sent decades later to Maranello for Ferrari Classiche certification following its last-minute withdrawal from a 2018 auction where it had been pegged to fetch a record price (it sold six months later at a different auction, in a private sale). Normally, we abhor re-telling what a book is about but this lengthy exposition seemed necessary in order to both impress upon readers that not only racing geeks should have this fine book on their wish list and also as a reminder that whatever random snippets you may have picked up from the commentariat at the time were, ahem, sketchy!
Both the author’s and the publisher’s names stand for exacting research, Bluemel having written about the marque for half a century and being involved in the Ferrari world at the highest levels. The primary focus here is on 0816 but its story is told in the context of its sister cars and period racing in general. Not just race and ownership history but the car’s technical and physical features, exterior and interior, are discussed and shown. Everything that is relevant is at your fingertips, and there’s an Index and various tables to slice and dice the contents any which way. Profiles of drivers and of circuits (with maps) add additional detail.
The publisher’s press kit refers to this as an “art-style book” without offering any further explanation. One clue is surely the size: 15.7 x 11.6 inches, and you really have to visualize this to appreciate how enormously wide the book is open. The paper is substantial and just turning pages is an event. Many of the photos do avail themselves of this generous footprint so this was not a frivolous choice or, as happens all too often, a wasted opportunity. Needless to say (but we will anyway, just in case) you cannot operate this book with one hand, in mid air. The satin coating makes even photos with a lot of black admirably smudge-resistant.
Speaking of the press kit, it also refers to the book as a one-off but it is really an edition of 750, hand-numbered. What is undeniably one-off is the story of this particular Ferrari.
If that 2018 auction is still rattling around in your consciousness, or you recall how the interweb practically melted down with speculation (was it really an estate/tax issue?), consider that Bluemel relegates it to a closing chapter as he does with that aspect of the story that really would beg further probing: how did Ferrari manage to suppress any talk about the 1963 chassis substitution, and what were the internal, management-level discussions around the decision to knowingly falsify the record by not just fudging the paperwork but actually removing the tack-welded chassis tag from 0814. Restorers, authenticators, insurers shudder. O tempora, o mores. Not even 0816’s famous owner for some five decades, Pierre Bardinon whose collection was so large that Enzo Ferrari considered it an excuse for not needing to build his own factory museum, was told and died in ignorance.
This book doesn’t put a foot wrong; it’ll be a standout in your library—and not just because of its size!
0816 was owned TWICE by the Chinetti organization about which this publisher will be offering a new and major book probably later in 2025.
This UK publisher does presently not have a US distributor so know this: items that are considered “informational materials” are exempt from IEEPA tariffs. Until they’re not. HTSUS (Gesundheit!) lays out the parameters; stands for Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
Copyright 2025, Sabu Advani (speedreaders.info)
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The size of the book makes it very hard to enjoy!