STORY OF THE DAY: The Rodríguez Brothers’ Ferrari Retires After 174 Laps

Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez shared the number 28 factory Ferrari at the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans and retired after 174 laps. Contemporary Le Mans records generally identify the entry as a Dino 246 SP with a 2.4-litre V6, rather than the 268 SP named in the supplied title. The brothers’ promising run therefore ended without a classified finish amid conflicting model identification.

Their appearance carried special significance because Ricardo had been refused permission to start at Le Mans in 1958 on account of his youth. Four years later he finally shared the race with Pedro as an official Ferrari driver. The car survived well into the event before mechanical trouble ended their challenge, denying the Mexican brothers the finish they had pursued since adolescence.

The 268 SP designation belonged to Ferrari’s experimental rear-engined sports-prototype family and used a 2.6-litre, 90-degree V8 in a tubular chassis with Fantuzzi open bodywork. Its centralised mass and independent suspension represented Ferrari’s transition away from front-engined sports racers. Because contemporary records identify number 28 differently, those 268 SP specifications should not be treated as conclusive evidence of the engine actually raced by this entry.

Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez were Mexican brothers whose precocious speed earned international recognition through Luigi Chinetti’s Ferrari connections. Ricardo became Ferrari’s youngest Formula One driver and died later in 1962 at only twenty. Pedro developed into a master of endurance racing and won Le Mans in 1968. Their 1962 appearance remains their only shared start in the French classic.