“We’ve done pretty much everything with it during the past 47 years, including rallies all over the continent, racing, and taking it to the pub. All the greatest cars should be good for that. It’s very noisy, though, which is fantastic for 100 miles but tiring for 1000.”
Steve Cropley: Ferrari 250LM
“For me, it has to be the 250LM. I select it for entirely selfish reasons. When I was a lad in Australia, there was a famous LM owned and campaigned by a Sydney-based team called Scuderia Veloce, and it was my monthly delight reading about the exploits of a hero-driver called Spencer Martin in this fabulous car. Years later, I was allowed to drive an LM owned by Lord Bamford, a sensational experience. He even let me drive it to the pub for lunch!”
Neil Corner: Ferrari 246 Dino
“I’ve been lucky to have owned three 250GTOs, and they were superbly balanced with lovely gearboxes and great steering. But the ultimate driving experience for me is a single-seater and, with twice the power-to-weight ratio, my old Grand Prix Dino [chassis 0007] was very special.
“When Ferrari sold the Dino to Pat Hoare, it was fitted with a Testa Rossa V12 for the Tasman series, and I bought it in 1978. It was the fastest front-engined car I’d driven, and it was fantastic through quick corners. You could take Abbey at Silverstone as flat as a kipper but you couldn’t afford to come across another car.
“The gearbox was better than a 250F and the brakes were superb. It wasn’t easy to drive, but you felt really good after setting quick times. I once tried Albert Obrist’s V6 Dino, which felt better balanced but sounded like a wet fart. After one practice session in my car, I took my helmet off for the final lap – the sound was incredible.
De Cad in 512M at Le Mans ’71
Alain de Cadenet: Ferrari 512M
“Although it was love at first sight when I saw my first 312PB, it’s the 512M I drove at Le Mans that year that provided me with the ultimate thrill. Being handed a 630bhp beauty and being told that the track went clockwise was the extent of pre-practice preparation. But at least I’d got to know the car when the conversion was done from an ‘S’ to an ‘M’ at the race shop in Maranello.
“It’s not really a big car. The V12 was just under 5 litres and had a 4-valve-per-cylinder, twin-overhead-cam layout with Lucas fuel injection. Then there were the 15in Campagnolo wheels with serious rubber on the road. Surprisingly forgiving, and totally stable on the Mulsanne at 225mph.
“That was my first outing at Le Mans, and I had only one eye working after a Targa accident. That magnificent machine looked after me and gave me one of the greatest rides of my life. We didn’t finish, but came fourth at Watkins Glen later in the year.”
Terry Hoyle: Ferrari 330LMB
“The 315 has to be the greatest, particularly with that fantastic four-cam engine, but my personal favourite is the 330LMB. It was the fastest front-engined Ferrari and the first to break 300kph at Le Mans. Of the four built, it has to be ‘4725SA’ because it has links to my days at Maranello Concessionaires and also to Pierre Bardinon – his collection was the eighth wonder of the world for me.
“Mike Salmon and Jack Sears drove it to fifth at Le Mans in 1963 and took a class win. The power, torque and sound are fantastic, and the 330LMB inspired me to build a special Lusso with a 4-litre engine. Perfect for a fast trip across France to Mas du Clos.”
Images: LAT Photographic, James Mann
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