1963 Ferrari 250 P Pilots: L. Scarfiotti, L. Bandini Team: SpA Ferrari SEFAC Race: 1st overall (P class) at Le Mans in 1963 pw (Hachette) - ? (diecast)
Published 04/11/17
One of the core traits of Ferrari in the early days was conservatism. Old man Ferrari was VERY resistant to change. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. However, in motorsports if you follow that motto, you will be passed by the competition. Case in point, mid-engine cars. Race cars with the engine at midships first appeared in the late 50s, and by the early 60s everybody were using them. Well, everybody except Ferrari. But finally Enzo Ferrari relented, and in March 3rd, 1963, at Monza, he presented the new 250 P.
In essence, the new car was basically a 250 LM without a roof. The chassis was a simple steel tubular space frame, covered by an aluminum body made by carrozzeria Fantuzzi. As usual the engine was a V12, displacing 2953 cm³. It was based on Lampredi’s tried & true V12 design, a simple engine with SOHC and 24 valves. With it’s six Weber carburetors it delivered 310 hp, with good reliability. But the big deal about the engine was its position behind the driver. Consequently that improved the car’s weight distribution, with the weight in the front offset by the fuel tanks and radiator. And with the new setup, the 250 P was also lighter, tipping the scales at just 760 kg.
Ferrari took a squadra of three 250 P to La Sarthe in 1963, and the new car delivered. The 250P came in first and third places, and 250P #21 here was the winning car. In scale, however, it’s not the best since it’s a pw. It’s from Hachette, but in terms of a pw model this 250 P #21 looks quite good. However, like with most of my pw models, the biggest issue are the bad wheels. If the wheels were a little better, it would be a great model.