When German manufacturer of super-detailed scale models CMC had turned their attention to the iconic Ferrari 250 GTO they created a veritable must-have for any serious scale model collector. That they’ve more recently turned their attention toward notable racing variants of the car only adds to the belief.

Ferrari 250 GTO #19, 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans

The so-called “stock” road-going 250 GTO models in 1:18 scale were already at a level of detail common to CMC, though uncommon to many others who produce in this space. The road cars were made up of no less than 1,841 individual parts. These included screw-off vent covers on the nose, glass-covered gauges, textile seats, wooden steering wheel and oh so much more.

Ferrari 250 GTO #86, 1962 Targa Florio

Of course the 250 GTO existed for the main reason of providing a basis for Enzo Ferrari’s road cars. Just as the focus in producing the road cars quickly turned to motorsport, so too have the attentions of the modelers at CMC.

Ferrari 250 GTO #19, 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans

Ferrari 250 GTO #19, 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans
First up is this red #19 entered in the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans. In fact, this was the debut for Ferrari’s then-new GTO. While Scuderia Ferrari would vie for all-out victory with its 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa Spyder, the GTO was aimed squarely at a GT class victory. This particular car was driven by Belgian drivers Pierre Noblet and Jean Guichet. Not surprisingly, the Belgian duo’s #19 featured a blue/white/red stripe similar to the Belgian flag.

Ferrari 250 GTO #19, 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans

In the same race Ferrari nabbed top honors with a Testa Rossa driven by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien, the Belgian pair in the #19 also took top honors in GT. Even more surprising, the car finished the race second over all, following only their teammates from Ferrari.

More Information: CMCModelCarsUSA.com

 

Ferrari 250 GTO #86, 1962 Targa Florio

Ferrari 250 GTO #86, 1962 Targa Florio
When the 250 GTO arrived on motorsport circuits in 1962, it sent a serious message to nearly anyone on the track. The car’s all-out dominance was clearly on display, and that year’s Targa Florio was no exception. An all-Italian driver team of Giorgio Scarletti and Pietro Ferraro fielded this two-tone #86 black and gold 250 GTO.

The Targa Florio circuit is the stuff of legends, with the race’s ten laps of the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie covering some 72 km stretching through the Sicilian countryside making the modern expansive Circuit de la Sarthe look positively short in comparison.

Ferrari 250 GTO #86, 1962 Targa Florio

Given the exceedingly long course ran along public mountain roads and comprised some 900 curves, the Targa Florio was effectively more rally than all-out sprint we see in Le Mans today. Like a rally and largely due to the narrow streets in the village of Cerde where the race began, cars were time released… albeit with just twenty seconds in between. Obviously there would be overtaking, with plenty of it and likely in very dangerous conditions.

Scarletti and Ferraro did well, finishing their ten laps in just 7:22:08.1, netting themselves the GT-class win and a fourth place overall.

More Information: CMCModelCarsUSA.com

Ferrari 250 GTO #172, 1964 Tour de France

Ferrari 250 GTO #172, 1964 Tour de France
No. The Tour de France isn’t… or rather wasn’t… simply a bicycle race. Debuting in 1899, the Tour de France Automobile was an annual race. Like the more famous bicycle race by the same name, the automotive Tour de France was a long ordeal requiring the ultimate in endurance. Six stages of racing over nine days and 6,060 km saw competition that travelled through multiple cities and included several circuit stages. If that sounds to you like a spiritual successor to something like the One Lap of America, we’d be hard pressed to argue the point.

Drives from point to point on the stages were timed. In between, circuit segments took place at Reims, Rouen, Le Mans and Monza, in addition to mountain stages at Col du Tourmalet, Mont Ventoux and Col de Turini.

Ferrari 250 GTO #172, 1964 Tour de France

It’s probably obvious that the Ferrari 250 GTO would be a serious contender in such a race. Even still, it had to beat out a young upstart named Carroll Shelby who’d entered three of his own Daytona coupes in the race. Early on, Shelby’s American entries would dominate the race, but crashes took them out of the race, which shifted power back to Ferrari. This particular silver #172 driven by Lucien Bianchi and Georges Berger went on to win overall in the GT class.

More Information: CMCModelCarsUSA.com

Each of these 1:18 scale Ferrari 250 GTO racers aren’t cheap by 1:18 scale standards. At prices hover around $500, they’re well beyond even the more exotic resin models out there. Even still, their functional details and rich mix of materials are very much worth the premium.

 

 

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