The Italian-born Luigi Chinetti was an apprentice at his father’s workshop from a young age, learning machine work and becoming a qualified mechanic at just 14 years old.
In the early 1930s, Chinetti began a racing career of his own, making a name for himself in endurance racing. His accolades at Le Mans were more than impressive, achieving a 1st-place finish for Alfa Romeo in 1932 and 1933, and later delivering Ferrari its very first win at Le Mans in 1949 — the marque’s first entrance in the historic event.
Chinetti had moved to the United States after the outbreak of World War II. Following his retirement from racing, Chinetti’s focus shifted to selling cars, something he had been involved with on the side. He became Ferrari’s North American importer.
In 1957 Luigi Chinetti formed the North American Racing Team (NART). Each national racing team had its own significant moments in racing for Ferrari, but it was NART that stood out among the rest. It entered almost 70 cars in the world’s most legendary race.
Completed in late 1964, chassis 5893 is the sixth 250 LM built (by numerical sequence), and it was distributed to Luigi Chinetti Motors, which in turn sold the car to Mrs. Irene Young [and her husband, Walter] of Wilton, CT. Apparently, 5893 did not suit their immediate needs, considering they soon traded it back to Chinetti.
Back in the hands of Chinetti Motors, this 250 LM became an immediate candidate for competition use by Chinetti’s North American Racing Team. In early 1965, the Ferrari was fitted with the more aerodynamically efficient longer nose by Piero Drogo.
Perhaps no other Ferrari GT car could boast such a meaningful contribution to Ferrari’s racing list of honors. As the winner of the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, chassis 5893 automatically claims a nearly peerless racing pedigree. As such, this 250 LM is one of just six Ferraris built during the “Enzo Ferrari era” (1947 through 1988) to have run Le Mans three times. With three additional appearances at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the car claims a total of six outings for the North American Racing Team.
In April 1970, only a few months after it rolled off the World Championship stage at the 24 Hours of Daytona, chassis 5893 was sold from Chinetti to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Carefully maintained ever since, the 250 LM has been one of the highlights of the museum’s collection while occasionally being exhibited at important concours d’elegance and motoring events.
(Introductory description courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.)
