Ferrari's 250 GT 'Tour de France'

During its illustrious history, Ferrari has built many superlative models with a Berlinetta body style. Few of them can compare, in both beauty and competition success, to the 250 GT Tour de France. Born in the wake of the disastrous 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 250 GT Berlinetta was an attempt to capitalise on the FIA’s revised racing classes, which placed a newfound stress on production-based grand touring cars. With production of the 250 GT road car already in full swing, the new model required only some minor modification to result in a competitive race-winner.

While the 3-litre type 128 Colombo short-block V-12 was fitted with triple Weber 36 DCL/3 carburetors to improve induction and resulting horsepower, the chassis was clothed in striking new coachwork from Scaglietti that was formed from lightweight aluminium. In combination with Perspex glass and a minimally equipped cockpit, the new Berlinetta boasted an improved power-to-weight ratio, and stood ready to do battle against competitors like the Jaguar XK and Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.

The very first 250 GT Berlinetta, finished 1st in class at its debut race at the Giro di Sicilia in April 1956. Six months later the legendary Marquis Alfonso de Portago drove one of the Berlinettas to an overall victory in the grueling Tour de France rally, a 3,600-mile, week-long jaunt consisting of six circuit races, two hillclimbs, and a drag race. Enzo Ferrari was so delighted that the factory began referring to the new model as the “Tour de France,” a decision that was further vindicated when Oliver Gendebien went on to win the French race in a 250 GT Berlinetta for three consecutive years from 1957 to 1959.

The Tour de France is undeniably one of the most captivating 250 GT iterations, occupying an important perch in Ferrari racing lineage that rivals sibling variants such as the Testa Rossa, California Spider, the Short Wheelbase, and the GTO.

The example you see here was raced in period in America and is the 26th example clothed in the single-vent coachwork style, and the 62nd example built overall.

In March 1959 the 250 GT was delivered to Luigi Chinetti Motors, and soon thereafter the car was sold to the famed Bob Grossman, a New York-based privateer racer and dealer who is renowned for his role in helping popularise the 250 GT California Spider, among other racing endeavours. Grossman sold the Tour de France to Walter Luftman of New York City and he raced it in several events, twice finishing 1st in the GT Class at Lime Rock, in July 1959 and October 1959. In August 1960 Grossman took the wheel to compete in the LISCA’s Bridgehampton race, for which he applied an MG-logo octagon on the car’s side, in a nod to his role as part of the MG racing team (as pictured in the 1960 Ferrari Yearbook). Between 1959 and 1960 it competed in a dozen races, winning six and always finishing in the top three in its class, an impressive accomplishment.

This outstanding 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta 'Tour de France' will feature as part of RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale between the 18-20th August 2022. Photos © Theodore W. Pieper / RM Sotheby's