Back-to-back Le Mans winning Ferrari and Porsche ...
Winning Le Mans outright once turns a car into an instant legend but scoring back-to-back victories is a feat only a handful of cars have achieved. It was long believed that no Ferrari had done this but recent research by Ferrari Classiche has revealed that this 275 P had not only won Le Mans in 1964 but had already done so in 1963. At its first victory, it had been entered with the identity of an earlier car, for which the entry had been filed but which could not compete due to sustaining accident damage. Since 1970, it has been part of the late Pierre Bardinon's Mas du Clos collection and it first made headlines last year when it was announced as the headliner for Artcurial's 2018 Retromobile auction. After a dispute between the Bardinon heirs, the 275 P was withdrawn from the sale. Chassis 0816 is now back on the market with RM Sotheby's as a private treaty sale. RM Sotheby's commissioned the additional Ferrari Classiche research, which also found the car to be the winner of the Sebring 12 Hours in 1964. No price has been revealed but we expect Ferrari's only two-time Le Mans winner, which has not been on the market since 1970s, to sell for an amount well into the eight figures.
A well two-time Le Mans winner is this Porsche 956, which won the epic endurance race in 1984 and 1985 as a private entry by Joest Racing. The first win was less of a surprise as Porsche had decided not to field its works team, leaving its many privateers to fight the quick but frail Lancias for the outright victory. The 1985 win was certainly more of an upset as Joest Racing managed to beat the might of the Porsche factory team with their brand new 962Cs. Despite scoring back-to-back victories, Joest Racing could not afford to park 956-117 and it continued to race until the end of the 1986 season. Fittingly, it scored a win in its very last outing before joining Reinhold Joest's private collection. It remained their until very recently, when it joined the stable of a prominent British racer.
Enjoy the links:
1963 Ferrari 275 P - Chassis 0816 - Ultimatecarpage.com
1984 Porsche 956 - Chassis 956-117 - Ultimatecarpage.com
If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.
(Ted Joans)
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