A garage queen may enjoy comfortable longevity but some classic cars are born to be raced. Unfortunately, the one-off Ferrari Breadvan part of the latter camp met its demise at the 2022 Le Mans Classic over the weekend but we can only hope it is revived in the future.
Considering its history and authenticity, we assume that the rippled metal bodywork will be repaired to its former glory after the one-off Ferrari Breadvan had the misfortune of coming together with a tyre barrier at the 2022 Le Mans Classic. The iconic design will undoubtedly be a costly repair bill considering the original was coachbuilt by skilled artisans – this means no off-the-shelf panels exist.
Lukas Halusa, the 31-year old Austrian who was behind the wheel at the time of the shunt was fortunate enough to walk away from a car that has some questionable safety, it raced 60 years ago when safety was a word ignored by automakers hellbent on power and victory.
The reason that the 1962 Le Mans 250 GTO derivative looks so different was in the name of the aerodynamics and despite its initial success, it didn’t receive the love from Il Commendatore Enzo Ferrari nor his confirmation. The one-off Ferrari Breadvan was essentially an old 250 GT SWB converted into the physical form we see here with the more powerful V12 engine fitted under the front bonnet.
The competing model was nicknamed La Camionnette by the French press and the name Breadvan eventually stuck. Ferrari will return to the top tier of endurance racing next year alongside Cadillac, Porsche and BMW to take the fight to Toyota who have dominated the prestigious Le Mans event without much competition.
