By Pete Vack
This story began with a few stunning photos of a 250LM Ferrari, chassis 5909, which appeared earlier this year at Phillips Island, Australia, and taken by Vince Johnson. It was suggested we do a short feature on this Ferrari, using a few of the many photos Vince had of the car. Thus began a bit of research, which is easy enough, but we noticed that 5909 was once owned by one Salvatore Phillip Bono.
It seemed little was known about this. So we pursued this bit of lost Ferrari lore, which is always a pleasant rabbit hole, if one has time and friends. Time, so so, but friends we have and in this case Vince Johnson, who was in touch with the current owner of 5909 (and who wishes to be known as ‘the owner’) and Ferrari historian, author and VeloceToday contributor Jeff Allison, who provided the key elements of the story of Sonny and Cher’s Ferrari Dragster, the 250 LM chassis 5909.
The Sonny Bono Connection
A bit of research found the history of 5909 was more or less conventional for the Ferraris of the era, and quite successful, both in Europe and in the US. Barchetta.com provided a long list of owners, placings, restorers, vintage racers, and auction houses. Winning at Spa was a highlight and the long, amazing ownership by Steven Reed, 2004 to 2023, stood out.
Here we noticed that 5909 was once owned by Sonny Bono, of the famous Sonny and Cher rock duo. We knew that Cher once owned a Dino GTS, (recently sold for $568,000), and the couple owned a couple of Daytonas. Par for the celebrity deals of the time.
But the 250 LM is a very different kind of animal. What was Sonny thinking?
It is written that the 250 LM was to be the next GTO, aka a SIII. Successor to the really famous 250 GTO SII, and, despite the rear engine, the profile indeed suggests its more illustrious predecessor. And in fact, according to Leonardo Acerbi, (Ferrari: A Complete Guide to all Models) the 250 LM was to be the next gen GTO. Perhaps the GTO SIII moniker was never applied because it was created to run in the GT category, but was denied by the FIA, meaning it had to compete with the sports prototypes. (The GTO model name was retired, to be conjured up once again for the 1984 288 GTO.) And speaking of names, 250 normally indicated a 3 liter engine, but almost all LMs had a 3.3 liter V12.
Or perhaps the 250 LM was simply a street version of the very successful 250 P. Born in the midst of a plethora of GT and sport racing offerings from the Scuderia, getting lost in the wake of the numerous six and eight cylinder machines including the Dino 246, 330, only about 33 were constructed. Nonetheless one can never forget that the planned GTO replacement won at Le Mans in 1965, the model’s main claim to fame (aside from Sonny Bono).
One thing for sure, by the time 5909 came to the attention of Mr. Bono, it was already past its prime. The rest of its life would be devoted to car shows and vintage racing. It was, by 1968, just an old racecar. Bono bought the car from author, Ferrari expert and broker Ed Niles (1924-2021) In 2015, Niles contributed this comment to My Car Quest.com and we quote it here slightly edited:
Back in the day, I bought 5909 in the San Francisco Bay area, and drove it home to Hollywood Hills. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and wringing wet. It was a hot summer day, and LM had coolant running through the frame tubes. Combine that with the sharply slanted windshield, the engine right behind your butt, and worn-out rubber boots around the pedals, letting the radiator heat into the interior, and you have a rolling sauna. Whew! I ended up selling it to Sonny Bono (Sonny and Cher), but that’s a tale for another day. I probably got around $5,000, the going price for a used Ferrari in those days.
![](https://velocetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/in-red.jpg)
From the Girardo.com site, we found this photo of 5909 when in the hands of Ed Niles. The site also has an excellent history of the car .
Perhaps this is why Bono liked the car and decided to purchase 5909. An old race car, perfect for some impromptu drag racing on Wiltshire Boulevard.
Call in the experts
This we sent to Jeff Allison for his thoughts. Did Ed Niles ever tell more of the Sonny Bono episode? He didn’t think so, but Jeff dug into his archives as he remembered that the car was passed onto Ferrari restorer Gerry Sutterfield.
“When doing a “Le Fotografie Ferrari” for Prancing Horse, we had a photo of Gerry with the car on a trailer. I’ve attached the photo as well as the bill of sale as mentioned in Gerry’s comments below. Here’s an extract of an email from Gerry when I asked him about the Sonny Bono business with the car:”
Ed Niles was the broker that sold the car for Sonny Bono. I bought it from Sonny through Ed Niles in August of 1968. See attached a copy of the Bill of Sale and a photo of the car in Ed Niles’ garage. It had problems. It was in a shop for repair of a broken transaxle. As I recall, Ed told me Sonny broke it during the Midnight drag races on Wilshire Blvd. Also the left side fenders had been cut off and spaced outward so Sonny could see what it would look like with wider wheels. Also the shop next door caught fire. 5909 was rescued and pushed outside as the shop burned up. I restored the car and took it to a few FCOA events, the last being an on-track exhibition event prior to the 1972 Sebring 12 hour race. I sold it shortly thereafter to Doug Towne of Sacramento California.
![](https://velocetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/on-trailer.jpg)
From Prancing Horse, the PHOTOGRAPHY of JOHN LUNDIN
In March 1972, Gerry Sutterfield, who was the third FCA president and served from 1969 to 1971, stopped to visit the Lundin’s in Nassau Bay, Texas while towing his 250 LM (5909) from Florida to its new owner in California. He’s shown with his brand new 1972 Ford Country Squire Wagon tow car with the 250 LM situated on the trailer backwards to put the heavier engine end forward for the long distance tow. Sutterfield bought the car from Sonny Bono of Sonny & Cher fame, who is said to have driven it on the street until the gearbox said enough!
Sonny and Who?
But wait. Is there anyone out there who does not recall Sonny and Cher? Who were they? Well, google it. We’ll let you see one of the few photos we can reproduce for publication which shed a bit of light on the cars and times of Sonny and Cher.
![](https://velocetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/fords.jpg)
Sonny Bono’s (Salvatore Phillip Bono) was the yellow one. Cherilyn “Cher” Sarkisian’s was the pink one. The Mustangs are currently owned by car collector Ward Morgan and on display at the Midwest Dream Car Collection in Kansas City. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-123456]
Thank you, Jeff, and now back to Vince Johnson, who asked the current owner to describe what it’s like to own and drive this magnificently restored treasure.
The current owner reflects on life with Ferrari 250 LM Chassis 5909..click here.
Link no work!
OK, I found it.
Thanks for noting our error…link is fixed now…
Pete
The Midwest Dream Car Collection is in Manhattan KS, about two hours west of Kansas City.
Great picture of the LM on a single axle trailer in Texas. I imagine with the location of the trailer axle, it only took a few miles of I-10 speeds to stop and turn the LM around! Good move, otherwise the tail would most certainly have been waggin’ the dog. Thanks for this one Pete.
Wonder if the ’63 Paris Show car 250 LM prototype by Pininfarina still exists?
https://supercarnostalgia.com/blog/ferrari-250-lm
Didn’t that car burn to the ground at Sebring in 1964?