1963 Ferrari 330 LM Berlinett
CAR HIGHLIGHTS
- Incredibly rare as 1 of 4 examples of the 330 LM Berlinetta produced in all
- Arguably superior to the 250 GTO, technically more advanced
- Displayed at the March 1963 Ferrari Press Conference
- Original Scuderia Ferrari factory racing car; period Le Mans and Sebring history
- The first car to break 300 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans
- Driven by Mike Parkes, Lorenzo Bandini, Jean Guichet, Peter Noblet in period
- Ferrari Classiche Certification 2010, accompanied by “Red Book”
- Matching numbers - original body, chassis, differential, engine, gearbox
- Featured in Federico Fellini's mid-1960s film, "Histoires Extraordinaires"
- Formerly owned by a number of the world’s top Ferrari collectors
- Prolific classic race entry, with numerous podiums and 1st Overall at Goodwood
- Driven in vintage events by Le Mans champions Derek Bell and Tom Kristensen
- Incredible opportunity to purchase one of Ferrari's most important racing cars
TECHNICAL SPECS
 | Serial Number: | 4381 SA |
 | Engine Number: | 4381 |
 | True Mileage: | Racing car unknown |
 | Estimated Value: | Inquire |
OVERVIEW
1 of 4 examples produced by SEFAC Ferrari to contest the 4.0-litre experimental prototype class in FIA-sanctioned international racing for the 1963 season. Purposefully aggressive body, 400-hp SOHC dry-sump V-12. The first car to hit 300 kp/h on the legendary Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. Used in mid-1960s Fellini movie "Histoires Extraordinaires." Original body, chassis, differential, engine, and gearbox. Ferrari Classiche certified 2010. Arguably superior and technically more advanced than the 250 GTO and far more rare. Raced at Sebring and Le Mans in 1963, driven in period by legends including Michael Parkes, Lorenzo Bandini, Jean Guichet, and Pierre Noblet. Prolific and successful in vintage racing, with drivers including Le Mans champions Derek Bell and Tom Kristensen. An unrepeatable opportunity to acquire one of Ferrari's most important, rare, and sought-after racing cars.
Specifications: Tipo 163/566 3,967 cc SOHC V-12 engine, 6 twin-choke Weber carburetors, 400 bhp @ 7,500 rpm, four-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension with unequal-length wishbones, coil springs, and anti-roll bar, and telescopic shock absorbers, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers, four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, wheelbase: 2,500 mm (98.4”)
While Ferrari’s competitors struggled with varying degrees of success to meet the demands of the new FIA rules to take effect for 1962 switching the World Constructors’ championship from prototypes to 3.0-litre GT cars, Ferrari was ready with a wide array of chassis, engines, and complete cars including the soon-to-become legendary 250 GTO. Not even the impact of the infamous “Palace Revolt” of 1961 and the loss of Ferrari’s top racing engineers was fully felt. While the monstrous sports racers were still allowed to compete as prototypes with a 4.0-litre engine-displacement ceiling, and would certainly continue to draw spectators to races, they were not eligible for championship points. Ferrari’s upcoming new 250 GTO met the GT-class rules for 1962 and with its sleek bodywork, was measurably faster than any Ferrari racecar before it. These cars, which would quickly assume legendary status, would be placed, as quickly as they could be produced, into the hands of Ferrari’s privateer racing teams entrusted with scoring championship points.
However, Ferrari still felt it essential to field four-liter prototypes nonetheless, in light of the intention of its longstanding archrivals, Aston Martin and Maserati, to do the same. However, this strategy was not clear at first, since Ferrari had not announced any four-liter prototypes at their annual press conferences and none were entered at the first two championship rounds of the 1962 season, at Sebring and the Targa Florio, which Ferrari won with a TRI/61 V-12 and 246 SP V-6 respectively. However, for the next race at Germany’s Nürburgring, Ferrari brought a new four-liter prototype Berlinetta styled quite similarly to the 250 GTO. Driven by Michael Parkes and Willy Mairesse, this new car finished second there behind Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien in a Ferrari 246 SP. At Le Mans, Parkes put the 4.0-liter prototype into a sand bank on the first lap and he and Bandini eventually retired in the seventh hour of the race. According to analysis by Michael T. Lynch, it is likely that chassis 3765 (2,400-mm wheelbase chassis) was the 4.0-litre Ferrari berlinetta at both races. This car, plus chassis 0808, a revised TRI sports racer with 4.0-litre V-12 that won Le Mans with Hill/Gendebien, were the first 4.0-litre Ferrari prototypes for 1962.
The definitive form of Ferrari’s 4.0-litre prototype coupes for 1963 debuted not at the Scuderia’s 1962 year-end press conference, but at another such conference held in March 1963. Shown alongside the 250P mid-engine V-12 prototype, the latest 4.0-litre coupe rode a new Tipo 574 chassis with a 100 mm wheelbase extension to 2,500 mm and 15-inch, rather than 16-inch-diameter wheels. Bodywork was a handsome and highly effective blend of the 250 Lusso passenger cabin/greenhouse, 250 GTO-style frontal section, complete with vertical fender vents, cooling openings above the radiator opening, and tunnel-style slots for rear-wheel clearance reminiscent of the 250 MM and 375 MM Pinin Farina coupes of the 1950s. The 4.0-litre V-12 (Tipo 163/566) featured dry-sump oiling, a single overhead camshaft per cylinder bank, and six Weber 42 downdraft carburetors with open intake trumpets. Virtually identical to the engine used by the 1962 Le Mans-winning 330 TRI, the engine produced roughly 400 horsepower at 7,000 rpm. Thanks to its strong low-end torque, Ferrari engineers mated this V-12 to a four-speed gearbox. This new prototype racer was designated the 330 LM Berlinetta, alternatively known as the 330 LMB. Just four were built – this car, 4381 SA, 4453 SA, 4725 SA, and 4619 SA. British driver and engineer Mike Parkes performed a great deal of the development work to prepare the new car for its racing debut at Le Mans. A strong hint as to its potential was realized on a Sunday morning test run on public roads from Modena to Bologna and back, with Parkes at one point reaching 176 mph!
This 330 LMB offered here, 4381 SA, is the very car shown at the March 1963 Ferrari conference to launch the Scuderia’s latest 4.0-liter prototype racing Berlinetta. It is one of just four examples of the 330 LMB produced and in today’s crowded classic Ferrari market, 4381 SA is a truly historic and electrifying find for collectors of the rarest classic V-12 Ferrari racing cars. The first race outing for the 330 LMB was at Sebring, where it was race-numbered 19 with Mike Parkes and Lorenzo Bandini driving. There, a spin with Parkes damaged the fuel tank and forced the car’s retirement. Next, at the April 1963 Le Mans test days, Parkes and 4381 SA reached 300 kilometers per hour (186.4 mph) for the first time on the legendary Mulsanne Straight. Next, 4381 SA qualified second for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it was entered for Pierre Noblet and Jean Guichet, and retired. Sister cars there were 4725, entered by Maranello Concessionaires and driven by Sears/Salmon to a fifth-place finish, and 4453, entered by NART for Gurney/Hall, who also retired.
Of further interest, one ‘Series I’ 250 GTO, numbered 4713 GT, was completed in June 1963 with the Le Mans Berlinetta body style pioneered by 4381 SA for its proven high-speed potential on the famed Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. Driven by David Piper and Masten Gregory, 4713 GT finished fifth overall and third in the GT class in 1963, while another 250 GTO, driven by Jean “Beurlys” Blaton and Langlois van Ophem finished second overall and won the GT class. Currently owned by noted Ferrari collector Lulu Wang, 4713 GT is the only 250 GTO chassis that was fitted when new with virtually identical Le Mans Berlinetta bodywork to that of 4381 SA, the car discussed here.
Following its front-line factory racing career, 4381 SA was purchased in November 1963 by Cronograph Srl. of Rome, a film production company, which had the car rebodied as a Spyder by Carrozzeria Fantuzzi in Modena. Painted gold/black, 4381 SA was used during the mid-1960s in the legendary Italian producer Federico Fellini’s movie, “Histoires Extraordinaires,” released in 1968. While out of the public eye for the next decade, 4381 SA was eventually reunited with its original body by Fantuzzi in 1978 for its next owner, noted collector Fabrizio Violati of “Collezione Maranello Rosso” renown. Next, 4381 SA passed through David Morrison of the UK to Harry Leventis and during his tenure, the 330 LMB graced the world’s top vintage racing events including the Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge at Brands Hatch, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Goodwood Revival Meeting, Le Mans Classic, the Dijon, Nürburgring, and Spa Ferrari Days, Tour de France Auto, Coys International Historic Festival at Silverstone, and Tutte le Ferrari at Mugello and Vallelunga. In addition to Mr. Leventis, many top-name racing drivers logged seat time in 4381 SA, including Derek Bell, Tony Dron, Peter Hardman, Tom Kristensen, Emanuele Pirro, Bobby Rahal, and Bobby Verdon-Roe. With numerous podiums to its credit, 4381 was driven by Hardman and Verdon-Roe to 1st Overall at the RAC TT Celebration during the 2008 Goodwood Revival Meeting. In 2011, 4381 SA was acquired by German collector Friedhelm Loh and most recently, acquired by the Consignor.
Certified by Ferrari Classiche in 2010 and accompanied by its all-important “Red Book,” 4381 SA is exceedingly rare as 1 of the 4 examples of the potent 330 LMB racing cars ever produced. The interior retains the original upholstery and importantly, the aggressive and purposeful body remains undamaged. Arguably superior to even the mighty and more numerous 250 GTO, this original Scuderia Ferrari factory racing car simply represents an uncommon opportunity for the top echelon of today’s Ferrari collectors.
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