The Italian manufacturer will line up in the FIA World Endurance Championship with an in-house chassis and take on hypercar competition from Toyota, Peugeot, Glickenhaus and ByKolles, while Audi, Porsche and Acura are building new LMDh prototypes which will also be eligible to compete in a unified Le Mans Hypercar class.
Full story HERE at motorsport.com
Fifty years after its last official participation in the premier class of the World Sports Car Championship in 1973, Ferrari will take to the track in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, which it proactively helped to establish. It has a respectable record in closed-wheel competition with 24 world titles (most recently in 2017) and 36 victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ferrari President John Elkann commented: “In over 70 years of racing, on tracks all over the world, we led our closed-wheel cars to victory by exploring cutting-edge technological solutions: innovations that arise from the track and make every road car produced in Maranello extraordinary. With the new Le Mans Hypercar programme, Ferrari once again asserts its sporting commitment and determination to be a protagonist in the major global motorsport events”.
The fantastic Ferrari F355 Challenge and the paintings of https://www.wulftreu.com
One of Ferrari’s most celebrated distributors and race teams, Garage and Ecurie Francorchamps brought fame and glory to Belgium and the Ferrari name through the crucible of international motorsport. Founded in 1952 by Belgian racing driver Jacques Swaters, Charles de Tornaco and Geoff Richardson, Ecurie Francorchamps earned a name for itself on the international stage in the 1950s and 1960s in sports car racing, competing regularly at events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans in an era when Ferrari dominated the field.
Off the track, Swaters was named Ferrari’s official importer for Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg in 1952. Garage Francorchamps became one of Ferrari’s most important dealerships worldwide over a period of over fifty years, and Swaters himself was a keen collector of all things Ferrari.
This fascinating Fiat 900T Service Van played an interesting role in that legacy. Purchased new by Garage Francorchamps in September of 1978, previous Belgium registration documents on file confirm the van’s provenance. During Francorchamp’s ownership, it was used for race support and parts delivery and surely would have been an exciting site for any car enthusiast whilst roaming Belgium’s roads. The Fiat remained in service with Francorchamps for a decade before it was parked in 1988 in the workshop of Ferrari Antwerpen.
Today, the car presents in largely original condition, and its charming Francorchamps livery advertising Ferrari’s road cars of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s is very attractive. Although the engine is running, it is advised that the van receive further restoration and service work before being driven on the road. Nevertheless, it would make an incredible addition to any Ferrari collection, especially one in its native Belgium.