A canny writer would’ve probably kicked this piece off with the $35,000,000 - that’s thirty five M I L L I O N dollar! - Ferrari 250 LM that we’ll get to soon enough. Or any of the other truly magnificent Ferraris, Maseratis, or Lamborghinis featured at the 2024 Noosa Concours d’ Elegance. But I won’t.
I’ve chosen to go with this immaculate, and clearly somewhat more affordable, 1950 Fiat 1400 cabriolet. Why? Because anyone who’s even slightly interested in Italian cars is likely to have at least seen a picture of the mega-bucks Ferrari but it’s likely that very, very few will even know of the humbler, yet also exquisitely beautiful, Fiat.
So, is this Ferrari 250 LM Australia’s most expensive car? Probably. However, to focus too heavily on its astronomical price tag is to ignore that it’s an extraordinarily beautiful machine, low, aerodynamic and oh-so 1960s’ Italian!
According to everyone’s favourite online search engine, the LM - standing for Le Mans - was unveiled at the 1963 Paris motor show and was based on the mid-engined, open-topped 250 P racing car of the same year (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_P, accessed 19 JUL 24).
Like the 250 P, the LM was equipped with four wheel double wishbone suspension, disc brakes all ‘round, rack and pinion steering and a five speed transmission. The LM’s tubular space-frame chassis was, however, built of heavier gauge steel with extra bracing, and gained additional rigidity by virtue of its roof structure. Engine capacity was also up on that of the 3.0 litre P; it was powered by a 3.3 litre version of Ferrari’s pre-Colombo V12 from the slightly later 275 P. Only 32 LMs were produced (ibid.).
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| NART = North American Racing Team |
One might reasonably conclude that Enzo Ferrari wouldn’t be best pleased to learn that his masterpiece GT 250 California Spyder has come to be almost universally known as the Ferris Bueller car. It is kind of crass, after all.
Depending on personal sensitivities, it might also gall to know that the cars - there were three of them, apparently - used in the movie and thereby created this unfortunate association weren’t even real Ferraris but V8 Ford-powered replicas. Personally, I think the producers should’ve run a No Ferraris Were Harmed in The Making of This Film rider to allay true fans’ horror at the apparent destruction of such a magnificent vehicle!
Ferrari or not? I’d have hoped that the debate over the Dino’s status within the Ferrari pantheon would’ve been well and truly resolved by now with a resounding yes for official recognition as part of the family. This one looked fabulous, even if it did remind me of my grandmother’s circa 1973 lime green Mazda 1300!
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These two Maseratis were extremely elegant, with a style all of their own. Both featured lovely cabins with plenty of glass to allow occupants an unrestricted view out whilst simultaneously letting the sunlight in, plus the most perfect chrome spoked wheels (almost certainly Boranis). Each car was finished in a rich dark blue - of not quite the same hue, though - which only added to their appeal.
X1/9 fans will recognise the levers in the image above, as they’re exactly the same item fitted to Ghandini’s magnificent wedge. Except the tiny Fiat’s are lockable whereas the mighty Countach’s aren’t.
Hats off to the generous owner of this, the most beautiful of all the Italians, a Lamborghini Miura! Why? They were not only letting children to get up and personal with their exotic classic, they were permitting them to actually climb inside it! Personally, I prefer not to allow anyone of school-age or younger to even enter my house.
Two of the three Lamborghinis that follow - a P300 Silhouette, a Huracan and a Jalapa - are superb. The other one is, I suggest, pure wank*. Sort of cool but wank, nonetheless. I won’t bother specifying which one.
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(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)
iPhone images.
* Has anyone ever done a lifted, beach-ready X1/9? Now that’d be cool!
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