STORY OF THE DAY: Gregory’s Return in a 250 LM Ends Early

Masten Gregory and Charles Kolb retired Ferrari 250 LM number 14 from the delayed 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race, moved from June to September amid French civil unrest, placed the ageing private prototype against a newer generation of Ford, Porsche and Alpine machinery.

Gregory returned to the model with which he had won Le Mans three years earlier, but there was no repeat. Number 14’s retirement underscored how far prototype development had moved since 1965, even though other privately entered 250 LMs continued to demonstrate the design’s longevity.

The 250 LM placed a 3.3-litre Colombo V12 behind the cockpit in a tubular chassis beneath compact closed bodywork. Originally intended for GT homologation, it instead raced as a prototype. Its mature mechanical package and straightforward construction helped private teams campaign it long after Ferrari’s works programme moved onward.

American Gregory was a fearless former Grand Prix driver and Ferrari’s 1965 Le Mans winner. Kolb, also American, competed extensively in sports cars and endurance racing. Their pairing linked one of the model’s defining drivers with a capable privateer, although the reunion produced no finish.