RM Sotheby’s sold a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM for a record $36 million at the Paris Retromobile 2025 sale as the most expensive Le Mans-winning racing car ever.
The only privateer Ferrari ever to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, chassis #5893, sold for a model-record $36,344,960 at the RM Sotheby’s Paris Rétromobile 2025 classic car auction. The result made this Ferrari the most expensive Le Mans-winning racing car ever sold at public auction. This Ferrari 250 LM participated in a remarkable six 24-hour races before being displayed for over 50 years at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
1964 Ferrari 250 LM – Most Expensive Le Mans Winner Ever
The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, chassis #5893, sold for a model record €34,880,000 ($36,344,960) at the RM Sotheby’s Paris Rétromobile 2025 classic car auction. The presale estimate was “in excess of €25 million”.
The €35 million public auction result made this 1964 Ferrari 250 LM:
- The most expensive Le Mans winner ever — previous record was $21,780,000 for a 1955 Jaguar D-Type.
- The most expensive 250 LM ever — two 1964 Ferrari 250 LM cars have sold for over $17 million but neither was a Le Mans winner.
- The sixth most expensive car ever (in nominal terms).
- The fourth most expensive Ferrari ever (only three GTOs had sold for more).
- The eighth car to sell for over $30 million at auction.
- The 77th car sold for more than $10 million at auction.
The 1963 Ferrari 275 P which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in both 1963 and 1964 was offered in a private sale by RM Sotheby’s in 2018 but the price was never released.
Le Mans-Winning 1964 Ferrari 250 LM
The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, chassis #5893, won the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours race overall, driven by Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt as a North American Racing Team (NART) entry. It gave Ferrari a then-record sixth consecutive Le Mans victory and it was also the last Ferrari Le Mans overall victory until 2023. It was the only privateer entry Ferrari ever to have won the Le Mans race overall.
Only 32 Ferrari 250 LM cars were ever built — fewer than the highly valued 250 GTO of which 36 were made. Ferrari lost interest in the 250 LM model due to its failure to get the car homologated. Most were sold off and raced by privateers.
The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, chassis #5893, had a remarkable career in the hands of NART. Not only its victory at Le Mans, when the official Scuderia Ferrari cars failed to finish, but it raced at Le Mans three times and three times at the Daytona 24 hours. It is the only Enzo Ferrari-era Ferrari to have competed in six 24-hour races.
1964 Ferrari 250 LM (#5893) Racing Record
The 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, chassis #5893, had a most amazing and long racing record:
- 1965 Le Mans — overall victory driven by Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt (Ed Hugus might have driven some laps too).
- 1966 Daytona — ninth overall in the inaugural Daytona 24-Hours driven by Bob Bondurant and Jochen Rindt.
- 1968 Daytona — retired after an accident, 101 laps.
- 1968 Le Mans — retired after an accident, 209 laps.
- 1969 Le Mans — eighth overall driven by Sam Posey and Teodoro Zeccoli.
- 1970 Daytona — seventh overall driven by Luigi ‘Coco’ Chinetti and Gregg Young.
Other than the Le Mans victory, the final race was probably the most remarkable result. It was the last World Championship race for a 250 LM, but at this Daytona race, the seven-year-old Ferrari was still competitive.
Life After Racing
Following the 1970 Daytona race, the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti, chassis #5893, was sold to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, where it remained on display until 2024. In late 2024, it was announced that RM Sotheby’s would sell 11 top cars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum at various auctions in 2025 to finance the museum’s redevelopment and to ensure future funding.
The top cars on offer included a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula One racer driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss (sold for $54 million at the Stuttgart auction), the 1965 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 LM (sold for $36 million at Paris Retromombile), and a Le Mans-raced 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II (Moda Miami).