.jpeg)
This 1965 ferrari 250 lm stradale was debuted by pininfarina at the 1965 Geneva Motorshow. The white and blue stripes had been chosen to appeal to american consumers. By the close of the show, pininfarina claimed they had received orders from customers to produce the car but this example was the only one to ever be created.
A few years prior, in 1963, the first 250 lm had made its official debut at the Paris Motorshow. Ferrari had attempted to homologate the vehicle for racing but was unsuccessful. Ferrari's struggle to homologate the 250 gt began in 1954 when their 250 lwb, meaning long wheel base, had dominated the competition. This continued through 1959 with the introduction of the 250 swb, meaning short wheel base. In 1962 ferrari introduced the 250 gto and the legacy continued.
Many marques had begun using a mid-engined configuration during the 1950's but Ferrari was slow to change, not utilizing the design until 1961 with they introduced their f1 championship car, the 156. After ten years of the successful 250 gt series, ferrari knew it needed to create a completely new car. Ferrari turned to their 250 p and began making modifications to comply with rules and regulations, most notably, the addition of a roof. The chassis was reinforced using a higher gauge of steel. As noted before it was first debuted in 1963 with a production version appearing in the following year. Little had changed from the prototype to the production version. The engine displacement had been changed; the 250 lm was given a gto derived 3-liter powerplant with the production cars received a 3.3-liter engine. In keeping with ferrari naming traditions, the name should have been changed to the 275 lm to signify its larger displacement, but the name 250 lm persisted. The reasoning was to aid in homologation purposes; a completely new named would have ruined the changes because it would have signified a new vehicle.
