1963 330 Le Mans Berlinetta #4381 SA 1963 330 Le Mans Berlinetta Chasis #4381 SA Location: Ferrari Beverly Hills Collezione Chassis: s/n 4381 SA Engine: 4.0L V-12 Transmission: Four-Speed Manual
Design: Scaglietti Coachwork: Scaglietti Mileage: racer-no odometer installed Color: Red Exterior Black Leather Interior Production run: 4 (first chassis in the series) Certificates: Ferrari Classiche PROVENANCE This car has an incredible provenance it was part of Ferrari s early racing history and helped in building the Scuderia s reputation as a manufacturer of fast, beautiful and winning race cars. Most of the development on no. 4831 SA was done by British driver and engineer Mike Parkes. An anecdote tells that, on a famous Sunday morning, with a journalist on board, Parkes hit 176 mph on the autostrada between Modena and Bologna. After fine-tuning, the first race outing for this 330 LM was the Sebring 12 Hours on March 23, 1963. Entered by the Maranello factory with the number 19 and entrusted to Parkes and Lorenzo Bandini, the car completed 72 formidable laps, but after a spin was unable to continue the race.
Having LM as its suffix, the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, is of course where the car was destined to make history. On test day in April of 1963, Parkes sat once again in no. 4831 SA s bucket seat. He turned right at the Tertre Rouge corner and pushed the throttle wide open. His 330 LM would accelerate to become the first car to reach 300 km/h (186.4 mph) on the most notorious stretch of tarmac in the world: the Mulsanne straight. Parkes finished the lap posting the fifth-fastest time, bettering Phil Hill s record in a four liter prototype by six seconds! For race-day, No. 4831 SA s doors and hood were painted with the number 9 we see today and handed to Franco-Belgian endurance specialists Jean Guichet and Pierre Noblet. The duo qualified ninth and managed to get as high as fourth overall (out of 49 starters), but did not finish the race with an unlucky mechanical failure. Only 12 cars would be able to finish the race.
After the brief, but meaningful racing season No. 4831 SA s was sold from the factory to Cronograph Srl; it would continue to garner acclaim by appearing in Histoires Extraordinaires a picture by legendary Italian director Federico Fellini. In that occasion, the berlinetta was painted a stunning shade of gold and re-bodied as spyder at Medardo Fantuzzi s workshop in Modena. It will be remembered as one of the most striking cars used in 1960s cinema. In September 1978 Mr. Massimo Chiappini of Rome took ownership, and at his request had Fantuzzi reunite the original body with chassis no. 4381. In July 1982, Mr. Chiappini sold the vehicle and it became part of the Collezione Rosso Maranello of Fabrizio Violati. THE 330 LM STORY The construction of four 330 Le Mans Berlinettas began in the winter of 1962; it combined the lines of the production 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso designed by
Pininfarina and the 250 GTO from Scaglietti. On March 4, 1963, at the newly reopened Monza circuit, Enzo Ferrari unveiled our 4381 SA to present his new berlinetta racer. These 4-litres engine cars were built to comply with changing FIA regulations. They saw important competition use, campaigned as factory works entries during their front-line career. THE 330 LM STORY The construction of four 330 Le Mans Berlinettas began in the winter of 1962; it combined the lines of the production 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso designed by Pininfarina and the 250 GTO from Scaglietti. On March 4, 1963, at the newly reopened Monza circuit, Enzo Ferrari unveiled our 4381 SA to present his new
berlinetta racer. These 4-litres engine cars were built to comply with changing FIA regulations. They saw important competition use, campaigned as factory works entries during their front-line career. THE 330 LM DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE The bodywork was stylistic and a highly effective blend of the 250 Lusso passenger cabin, 250 GTO-style frontal section, complete with vertical fender vents, the iconic D-shaped cooling openings above the radiator opening, and tunnel-style slots for rear-wheel clearance reminiscent of the 250 MM and 375 MM Pininfarina coupes of the 1950s. The car s interior was an interesting balance of competition and street Lusso features-it was built with carpeting, a headliner, sun visors, door upholstery; the driver sat on Lusso bucket seats, behind Ferrari s classic large-diameter wood rim steering wheel.
The 330s were fitted with an almost identical V-12 to that found in the 1962 Le Mans-winning 330 TRI. The motor was now good for 400 horsepower at 7,000 rpm. Although heavier and less nimble the 250 GTOs, the 330 LMBs had additional torque to maneuver them out of tight corner and were arguably more technologically advanced. Today, they are surely a whole lot rarer. FINAL REMARK This Ferrari 330 LM Berlinetta is charismatic in both its bodywork lines and history. It was the first of the 330 LM chassis built, broke records, appeared in movies and won historic races. One of four, but we can go ahead and say it truly is a one of a kind automobile.