STORY OF THE DAY: Number 19 Reaches the Podium, Not Retirement

John Surtees and Lorenzo Bandini finished third in works Ferrari 330 P number 19 at the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, completing 337 laps. Surviving records therefore conflict with the retirement shown in the supplied title; the car formed part of a Ferrari sweep of the podium.

The pair’s result came despite losing ground to the winning 275 P of Guichet and Vaccarella and the second-placed Maranello Concessionaires 330 P. Their finish nonetheless contributed to an emphatic Ferrari performance in a World Sportscar Championship race contested against an increasingly serious Ford challenge.

The 330 P evolved Ferrari’s mid-engined prototype around a four-litre V12, tubular chassis and open Fantuzzi bodywork. Greater displacement delivered strong Mulsanne speed, while the engine’s position behind the cockpit improved weight distribution compared with Ferrari’s earlier front-engined four-litre endurance cars.

Surtees was the British motorcycle world champion who successfully crossed into Grand Prix racing and would win the 1964 Formula One title for Ferrari. Bandini was an Italian works driver valued across categories. Their third place joined Surtees’s analytical discipline with Bandini’s versatility and endurance experience.