Ferrari's entry into rear mid-engined sports prototype racing began with the 250 P in 1963, designed by Mauro Forghieri. The 250 P was a landmark machine: a tubular spaceframe chassis with double wishbone suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes, and a longitudinally mounted V12 engine with a 5-speed gearbox and transaxle. Its single-cam 3.0-litre engine produced 310 bhp at 7,500 rpm. The 250 P won the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 1000 km Nürburgring outright, establishing the mid-engined layout as Ferrari's future in prototype racing.
All four production 250 P chassis were subsequently converted to 275 P or 330 P specification following the 1963 season.
For 1964, Ferrari developed both the 275 P and the 330 P as improved versions of the 250 P. The tubular spaceframe chassis and most major components were carried over unchanged. The 275 P received a bored-out 3.3-litre version of the Testa Rossa-type single-cam engine, producing 320 bhp, and weighed 755 kg. The 330 P used a different, larger-displacement 4.0-litre Colombo-designed V12 derived from engines used in the 400 Superamerica road cars, developing 370 bhp but weighing more at 785 kg.
The two variants were raced concurrently by Scuderia Ferrari, NART, and Maranello Concessionaires during the 1964 and 1965 seasons. Some drivers preferred the additional power of the 330 P; others favoured the more nimble 275 P.
The most celebrated result for the 275 P came at the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Ferrari achieved a 1-2-3 sweep. The Scuderia Ferrari-entered 275 P driven by Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella took the overall victory. Second place went to a Maranello Concessionaires 330 P crewed by Phil Hill and Jo Bonnier, and third to a Scuderia Ferrari 330 P driven by Lorenzo Bandini and John Surtees.
Notable drivers who campaigned the P-series cars during this period included Surtees, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Willy Mairesse, Bandini, and Pedro Rodriguez.
For 1965, Ferrari introduced entirely new cars, the 275 P2 and 330 P2, featuring lower and lighter chassis with more aerodynamic bodywork compared to their predecessors. The 275 P2 departed from the traditional tubular spaceframe, adopting a self-supporting body of riveted aluminium sheets built by Carrozzeria Fantuzzi, following the practice established with Ferrari's Formula One cars from 1963. Rear suspension was carried over from the Formula One Ferrari 158. The 275 P2 used wider rims with tubeless Dunlop racing tyres and a newly developed 5-speed gearbox.
The 275 P2 received a new V12 engine with four overhead camshafts, six twin Weber carburetors, and two spark plugs per cylinder. The 3.3-litre unit produced 350 bhp at 7,200 rpm, compared to 410 bhp for the larger 4.0-litre 330 P2.
The 275 P2 made its track debut on the test day for the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans in April, then raced two weeks later at the 1000 km Monza, where Mike Parkes and Jean Guichet won outright. Further victories followed: Nino Vaccarella and Lorenzo Bandini won the Targa Florio, and Parkes and Guichet finished second at the Nürburgring 1000 km behind teammates Surtees and Scarfiotti in the more powerful 330 P2. The 275 P2's final competitive appearance was in August 1965 at the Ollon-Villars Hillclimb.
The Ferrari 275 P and its P2 successor represented the peak of Ferrari's mid-engined endurance racing lineage before the company moved on to the fuel-injected 330 P3 for 1966. The 1964 Le Mans 1-2-3 result remains one of the most celebrated manufacturer sweeps in the history of the 24-hour race. The P-series cars established the technical template — rear-mid V12, tubular or monocoque chassis, double wishbone suspension — that Ferrari continued to develop through the P3, P4, and ultimately the 312 PB.