Moment driver crashes incredibly rare Ferrari worth $44MILLION at Le Mans race – and there is no guarantee that the manufacturer will be able to fix it… or will even want to
- Lukas Halusa was behind the wheel when the unthinkable happened
- The Austrian driver lost control and slammed the vintage car into the barrier
- This was no ordinary, it was a one-off creation revered by motorsport fans
- Now Ferrari may be unlikely to be able to fix it because of its design and history
Like taking a flamethrower to the Mona Lisa or a wrecking ball to the Venus de Milo, a true work of art was totalled at the recent Le Mans Classic race.
The Ferrari 250 GT ‘Breadvan’ is a motorsport masterpiece that has captivated fans around the world since 1962 – and Austrian driver Lukas Halusa crashed it into a wall.
The one-off vehicle would have fetched upwards of $US30million [$AU44.5 million] at auction before the accident left it a mangled wreck.
Fortunately, the 31-year-old driver walked away without any serious injuries after losing control and slamming the car hard into a tyre barrier.
Making matters worse, this particular vehicle is not one you can just ship to Ferrari HQ for repairs.
The standard Ferrari 250 GT was an amazing performance machine in its own right. It won the GT World Championships in 1962, 1963 and 1964 to etch its name into motorsport history.
The moment of impact when the Ferrari Breadvan slammed into the barrier at Le Mans
Today, they are worth a fortune with a 1963 250 GTO with a 4153GT chassis setting the record as the world’s most expensive Ferrari in 2018 when it sold in a private sale for $US70 million [$AU104 million].
However, this particular 250 GT is truly unique.
The Breadvan was the result of a major feud between company founder Enzo Ferrari and Italian aristocrat Count Giovanni Volpi.
Volpi was splashing the cash on his own privateer race team Scuderia Serenissima and he wanted his own Ferrari 250 GTO to put on the track.
One problem: Volpi had angered Enzo by poaching some leading staff from Ferrari, so his request was denied.
There’s extensive damage to the rear of the one-off Ferrari but the driver was unharmed
Volpi took the rejection badly, so he set about transforming the 250 GT he already had into a bespoke performance machine, commissioning former Ferrari worker Giotto Bizarrini to work on the vehicle.
The result was a model that sat even lower than the GTO and featured a flat, elongated roof that earned it the nickname ‘Breadvan’ after the delivery vehicles of the time.
Because of its bespoke design, Ferrari doesn’t have the plans or measurements required to repair it. The famous manufacturer will be able to help fix the steering and suspension, but you better believe that will come at a hefty price.