STORY OF THE DAY: Ferrari’s Fastest Weapon Fails to Finish

Peter Collins and Phil Hill drove the number 6 Ferrari 335 S at the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car retired, as did Ferrari’s other 335 S, while Jaguar D-Types occupied the first four finishing positions. For Ferrari, the race became a severe reversal during a World Sportscar Championship season ultimately rescued by success elsewhere.

Collins launched aggressively at the start and briefly placed Ferrari at the front of the spectacle, but sustained speed could not overcome the model’s endurance weaknesses. Mechanical trouble ended the number 6 car before it could challenge through the final hours. The withdrawal left two gifted drivers watching Jaguar convert reliability and aerodynamic efficiency into a dominant result.

The 335 S was Ferrari’s ultimate large front-engined sports racer of 1957, combining a tubular chassis with a four-litre Jano-designed V12 producing close to 390 horsepower. Scaglietti’s open body, a rear transaxle and high-speed proportions suited circuits such as Le Mans. That performance brought exceptional drivetrain, braking and tyre loads, making the car formidable but difficult to preserve.

Collins was British, a leading Ferrari Formula One driver remembered for surrendering his car to Fangio during the 1956 title decider. Hill was American, mechanically knowledgeable and already emerging as an elite endurance racer. Their partnership joined natural speed with analytical sensitivity, but this Le Mans offered no finish; Hill’s victories with Ferrari would come in 1958, 1961 and 1962.