Vehicle Background

Chassis 5909 spent most of its time in the United States of America. After the vehicle was briefly used by Luigi Chinetti’s North American racing team (N.A.R.T.), it belonged to Bob Grossman of “Scuderia Bear”, who drove it throughout 1964. After the car was no longer used in racing, its greatest success was winning the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1975. The current owner took part in important events such as the Tour Auto 2005, where the car was one of the stars of the event . After an accident at the 2008 Le Mans Classic, it was fully restored and was shown again for the first time after the restoration at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The uniqueness of the 1964 Reims 12 Hours was that it started at midnight. Setting off in the pitch black of the night was made even more difficult by the Le Mans start procedure. The first laps were characterized by a three-way battle between the two Ferrari drivers Graham Hill and John Surtees and Richie Ginther’s Ford. For almost an hour, at average speeds well over 200 km/h, the three drivers regularly overtook each other in front of the Virage de Thillois.
The lead changed mainly due to the different pit stop tactics. Just before 11 a.m. Surtees came into the pits to refuel. However, the pads on the front brakes also had to be changed. Although the N.A.R.T. mechanics worked quickly, the team lost two minutes. With new brake pads, Surtees seemed to be able to make the impossible possible. He made up a huge amount of time on Bonnier in a short space of time; at times he was five seconds per lap faster than the Swede. When Bonnier came into the pits for the final fuel stop half an hour before the end of the race and handed the car back to Hill, Surtees took the lead. He had completed all the necessary stops and could have finished the race without stopping again. He drove the Ferrari at and sometimes above the limit for more than an hour, putting extreme demands on the vehicle’s technology. At Surtee’s last stop he didn’t change his tires due to time constraints, but that now paid off. Ten minutes before the end he came into the pits with a flat left front tire. When he returned to the track he was 1½ laps behind the Hill/Bonnier Ferrari and ultimately finished second.