18 Photos Of The Golden Age Of Sports Racing Cars At The Le Mans Classic

Photography by Tim Scott

The late-’50s and early ’60s are what helped cement the Ferrari legend. This group of cars at the recent Le Mans Classic shows just how quick Ferrari had to be in order to defeat its rivals. Defeat them Enzo Ferrari’s cars did, winning three of the five 24 Hours of Le Mans races held between 1957 and 1961.

These victories paved the way for even more success—and the ire of every other competitive auto manufacturer, to say nothing of Henry Ford II and the Ford GT40 initiative that finally broke the Italian marque’s dominance of the sport.

But for a few short years, the race was won by an elite group of Ferrari drivers; Belgian Olivier Gendebien with three overall victories, Phil Hill with two, and writer/racer Paul Frère with one. As photographer Tim Scott captured at the Le Mans Classic, Scuderia Ferrari’s epic machines are just as competitive today as they were in period.

This year, however, “Plateau 3” was won by a Lister-Costin, at the hands of Chris Ward.