STORY OF THE DAY: The Last Front-Engined Winner at Le Mans

Olivier Gendebien and Phil Hill won the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans in works Ferrari 330 TRI/LM number 6. They completed 331 laps and led a Ferrari sweep of the first three positions, giving the company another major World Sportscar Championship victory.

The experienced pair converted speed into control while rival prototypes fell away. Their victory became historically distinctive because the 330 TRI/LM was the final front-engined car to win Le Mans, closing one design era just as Ferrari’s mid-engined prototypes were becoming the factory’s future.

The 330 TRI/LM united a Testa Rossa-derived tubular chassis and independent rear suspension with a four-litre, 60-degree V12. Its long Fantuzzi spyder body was shaped for the Mulsanne Straight, while the large engine delivered the sustained high-speed power required by the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Belgian Olivier Gendebien was one of endurance racing’s finest specialists and secured his fourth Le Mans victory, all with Ferrari. American Phil Hill, the 1961 Formula One world champion, earned his third. Their calm mechanical sympathy made them an exceptionally effective long-distance partnership.