From the archive: on this day in 1964

Enzo Ferrari could be a difficult character even at the best of times – and the mid-1960s wasn’t among those. 

In late 1963, Ferrari had presented the 250 LM (for ‘Le Mans’), the 250 P endurance-racing prototype developed into a coupé, and announced plans to build the 100 road examples required for Grand Tourer homologation. The Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) had persuaded Ferrari to do this, despite the fact that “anything less like a tourer, grand or otherwise, must be difficult to find”. The ACI’s application was then rejected by the Commission Sportive Internationale, as it gave evidence that only 78 road cars were made. 

Feeling that he had been put in “an extremely unpleasant position”, Ferrari resigned his firm’s ACI membership and thus its ability to run a Formula 1 team – despite the fact that it was chasing the drivers’ and constructors’ titles! 

Works cars were sent to the US Grand Prix, but they were entered by the North American Racing Team. The same was true in Mexico, resulting in the bizzare image of John Surtees snatching the title for Ferrari in a blue-and-white car. 

Oh, and a resolution still wasn’t forthcoming, the 250 LM having to race as a prototype for 1965.