Watch the $30M 1962 Ferrari 250 GT Breadvan Crash Hard at Le Mans Classic

It may be toast for the time being, but it's not the first time the eight-figure Ferrari has been crashed.
Ferraro 250 GT SWB Breadvan crash at Le Mans Classic 2022
Ferraro 250 GT SWB Breadvan crash at Le Mans Classic 2022 | via Motorsport.tv

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The one-of-one Ferrari 250 GT SWB “Breadvan” crashed again at a vintage race over the weekend, adding another scar to the historic race car.

The Breadvan, nicknamed by British racing media, was commissioned in the early 1960s after Ferrari refused to sell one of its latest, greatest 250 GTO to Giovanni Volpi. Rather than take it lying down, Volpi commissioned an enhanced 250 GT SWB from Giotto Bizzarrini, with a lightweight, streamlined body built in the style of a shooting brake. The unusual design made the Breadvan an instant icon and secured its place in vintage races for decades.

Its racing career hasn’t been without incident, though, and the Breadvan sustained what might be its hardest hit yet over the weekend at Le Mans Classic. Held biennially, the vintage race pits historic Le Mans cars (or appropriate stand-ins) against one another so modern drivers can relive bygone eras of racing. Because reliving racing means actually seeing who’s fastest, the races get competitive, often putting tens of millions of dollars on the line. And because money doesn’t buy talent, sometimes that ends with a car in the wall, as it did for the Breadvan at this year’s race.

In the video of the crash, the Ferrari Breadvan can be briefly seen sliding backward at speed into the wall, having already sustained damage to its front right fender. How the crash occurred isn’t exactly clear, but the out-of-place tire wall in the background may suggest the driver may have lost control exiting the previous corner, clipping the wall, and sending them spinning into the barriers. It’s a far more severe hit than the Breadvan took back in 2015 in Goodwood when it was disfigured in an on-track scuffle.

The extent of the damage also remains unknown, but the Breadvan’s estimated value of as much as $30 million guarantees it’ll be rebuilt.

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