The 250 LM Ferrari Wins Again: Best of the Best at the Peninsula in Paris

Seeing all nine candidates for the Best of the Best 2024 title, one wonders how the 24 renowned experts on the jury could possibly make a decision. How could they not award one of the three Bugattis, Best of Show at Chantilly, Pebble Beach, and Goodwood—an incredible Tipo 35 Grand Prix marked by time and history, the Type 59 Sports, equally preserved as it was in its heyday, or the magnificent Type 57 S Roadster from 1937? Staying in the pre-war era, another contender was the extraordinary Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider, painted in a beautiful bright blue and a Villa d’Este winner. If the heart leaned toward the most extreme luxury, voting for the austere 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom, which triumphed at Hampton Court, or the Delahaye 145 Cabriolet in a magical shade of blue from The Quail, or finally, the other 1947 Delahaye with its curious protruding nose, awarded at The Amalia, would have been a slightly easier choice.

The nine finalist cars of the Peninsula Best of the Best Award 2024.

But there were two outsiders, the most recent ones, both red, both featuring the black Prancing Horse on a yellow background on the hood: the Ferrari 335 S, the last winner of the 1000 Miglia in 1957, once part of the famous Bardinon collection, now owned by Brian and Kimberly Ross, immaculate and perfect as when it was built, and the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, with which Chris and Anna Cox won Best of Show at Palm Beach Cavallino Classic 2024. What did the judges choose? Likely with less hesitation than those who, before thinking with their heads, reason with their hearts, they picked the car that embodies a refined yet effective Pininfarina design, a technically sophisticated machine, heir to years of racing success, and the pride of winning the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans—the Ferrari 250 LM.

The Peninsula Best of the Best Award 2024 was won by the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM of Chris and Anna Cox, which triumphed last year at the Best of Show at Cavallino Classic Palm Beach.

Congratulations to those who made the choice, and congratulations to the organizers of The Peninsula Hotel in Paris and Sir Michael Kadoorie, Bruce Meyer, William Chip Connor, and Christian Philippsen, creators of the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award, now in its tenth year, where the elegance of the event was accompanied by a prestigious guest list. So, we leave 2024 in the past and look ahead to 2025: the competitions have begun—may the next best win!

Andrea Modena, head of Ferrari Classiche, receives the Best of the Best 2024 award on behalf of the winning car’s owner, Chris Cox, alongside the founders of the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award.