North American Racing Team
Encyclopedia
The North American Racing Team (also known as NART) was created by Luigi Chinetti
to promote the Ferrari
marque in America
through success in Gran Turismo
(endurance) motorsport.
It was created in 1958 when Chinetti received backing from wealthy racers George Arents and Jan de Vroom. Ferrari already had a close relationship with Chinetti due to his success in selling the maker's road cars in the important American markets, and thus NART received a continuous line of excellent Ferrari racers.
in Florida and the 24 Hours of Le Mans
in Le Mans
, France. Their first race was the 12 Hours of Sebring
in March 1958, with a 250 GT.
Curiously, a Ferrari 158
officially entered by NART sealed the win of the 1964 F1 World championship with John Surtees
, as the factory team competed the last two races in cars painted white and blue. This was done as a protest concerning arguments between Ferrari and the Italian Racing Authorities regarding the homologation of a new mid-engined Ferrari race car.
The peak of NART's own racing success came in 1965, when a NART-entered 250 LM became the last Ferrari to win Le Mans outright with Jochen Rindt
and Masten Gregory
.
Other known NART results include a 3rd place in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona
, backing up two works 330P4
in Ferrari's famous triple success, which was commemorated by the naming of the 365 GTB4 "Daytona". With this model, NART scored 2nd in the 1973 Daytona 24h, behind a Porsche 911
.
NART raced Ferraris until 1982, at which point it had participated in more than 200 races with over 100 different drivers. In the US, perhaps the most famous of these drivers are Mario Andretti
and Phil Hill
.
NART also had a Ferrari model with its name attached to it - the 1967 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder was a convertible
version of the 275 GTB/4 requested especially by Luigi Chinetti. The original order of 25 cars was never fulfilled, as only 10 were delivered from the Maranello
factory. Because of the popularity of the drop-top NART Spyder design, many 275 GTB/4 were converted to drop-top models to imitate the NART Spyder's beauty.
Luigi Chinetti
Luigi Chinetti was an Italian-born racecar driver, who emigrated to the United States during World War II and became an American citizen....
to promote the Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
marque in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
through success in Gran Turismo
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
(endurance) motorsport.
It was created in 1958 when Chinetti received backing from wealthy racers George Arents and Jan de Vroom. Ferrari already had a close relationship with Chinetti due to his success in selling the maker's road cars in the important American markets, and thus NART received a continuous line of excellent Ferrari racers.
In racing
NART raced at only the world's premiere races, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
in Florida and the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
in Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, France. Their first race was the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
in March 1958, with a 250 GT.
Curiously, a Ferrari 158
Ferrari 158
The Ferrari 158 was a racecar made by Ferrari in 1964 as a successor to the V6-powered Ferrari 156 F1 that had dominated in 1961 but become outdated by 1962. As with the British competition, it had a V8 engine...
officially entered by NART sealed the win of the 1964 F1 World championship with John Surtees
John Surtees
John Surtees, OBE is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver from England. He was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956 and 1958–60, Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels...
, as the factory team competed the last two races in cars painted white and blue. This was done as a protest concerning arguments between Ferrari and the Italian Racing Authorities regarding the homologation of a new mid-engined Ferrari race car.
The peak of NART's own racing success came in 1965, when a NART-entered 250 LM became the last Ferrari to win Le Mans outright with Jochen Rindt
Jochen Rindt
Karl Jochen Rindt was a German racing driver who represented Austria during his career. He is the only driver to posthumously win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship , after being killed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix...
and Masten Gregory
Masten Gregory
Masten Gregory was a racing driver from the United States. He raced in Formula One between and , participating in 43 World Championship races, and numerous non-Championship races....
.
Other known NART results include a 3rd place in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
, backing up two works 330P4
Ferrari P
The Ferrari P series were prototype sports cars in the 1960s and early 1970s.Although Enzo Ferrari resisted the move even with Cooper dominating F1, Ferrari began producing mid-engined racing cars in 1960 with the Ferrari Dino-V6-engine Formula Two 156, which would be turned into the Formula...
in Ferrari's famous triple success, which was commemorated by the naming of the 365 GTB4 "Daytona". With this model, NART scored 2nd in the 1973 Daytona 24h, behind a Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
.
NART raced Ferraris until 1982, at which point it had participated in more than 200 races with over 100 different drivers. In the US, perhaps the most famous of these drivers are Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
and Phil Hill
Phil Hill
Philip Toll Hill, Jr., was a United States automobile racer and the only American-born driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Hill was described as a "thoughtful, gentle man" and once said, "I'm in the wrong business. I don't want to beat anybody, I don't want to be the big hero...
.
Road cars
Convertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
version of the 275 GTB/4 requested especially by Luigi Chinetti. The original order of 25 cars was never fulfilled, as only 10 were delivered from the Maranello
Maranello
Maranello is a town and comune in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 16,841 as of 2009. It is best known as the home of Ferrari S.p.A. and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team...
factory. Because of the popularity of the drop-top NART Spyder design, many 275 GTB/4 were converted to drop-top models to imitate the NART Spyder's beauty.