Zagato Tour de France

Posted on July 31, 2023 by classiccarweekly

1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France by Zagato

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 2023

Well here is a big-boy Ferrari. So big in fact that RM will not even run it across their block in Monterey this year. Instead they are going to the “Sotheby’s Sealed” format, which, I guess, just takes the fun out of watching people bid.

The long-wheelbase 250 GT started out with the 250 Europa, and the “Long Wheelbase Berlinetta” debuted in 1956 and acquired the nickname “Tour de France” after the cars competed in the 10-day Tour de France race. Just 77 were built through 1959, most of which were bodied by Scaglietti based on a Pinin Farina design.

But five of them escaped off to Zagato, and this car is the third of those. It has the signature double-bubble Zagato roof and is the only such example with covered headlights. It also has a 3.0-liter Colombo V12 that made somewhere around 250 horsepower. This car has period competition history, too, including:

1957 Mille Miglia – 6th (with Camillo Luglio and Umberto Carli)

It was restored in the early 2000s and has been with its current owner since 1999. It’s been shown at Pebble Beach three times since, winning its class in 2009. You can read more about it here.

Update: Withdrawn.

Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France

Posted on September 3, 2014 by classiccarweekly

1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione “Tour de France” by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Auctions | London, U.K. | September 8, 2014

Photo – RM Auctions

Ferrari 250s are very nice. They’re exceptional, wonderful examples of the golden age of Ferrari from the golden age of motor racing. The 250 GT Berlinetta followed the Europa GT, GT Boano, GT Ellena. They used Scaglietti bodies based on a Pinin Farina design and were sold from 1956 through 1959.

These two-door coupes (only body style) were powered by a 225 horsepower 3.0-liter V-12. They were nicknamed “Tour de France” after the 250 GT Berlinetta won it’s first race at the 1956 Tour de France (a 10 day race in France). The GT Berlinetta also won the Targa Florio and it’s class at Le Mans.

Not all “Tour de France” 250 GTs were race cars. In fact, of the 77 examples built, only nine were “Competizione” models – this being #8. It’s competition history includes:

1956 Tour de France – 8th (with Jacques Peron and Jacques Bertrammier)
1956 Coupes du Salon, Montlhery – 2nd (with Peron)
1957 12 Hours of Reims – DNF (with Peron)
1957 Tour de France – 5th (with Peron and Georges Burggraff)

This car is finished in the best color combination you can get on a 250 GT Berlinetta. These are spectacular cars, and very important in the history of the 250 GT. This one has great period race history and known ownership from new. It’s ready to take on any historic event you want, but it’ll cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,850,000-$8,650,000 in order to do so. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in London.

Update: Sold $8,119,188.

Ferrari 250 Tour de France

Posted on October 22, 2012 by classiccarweekly

1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ by Scaglietti

Offered by RM Auctions | London, England | October 31, 2012

There are perhaps few cars that have had more variations of them built than the Ferrari 250. The backbone of the series is the Colombo V12 displacing 3.0 liters. Power output was model-specific, and this car puts out 247 horsepower, which is about mid-range for a Tour de France model (they ranged from 237-256 between the different series).

The 250 GT Tour de France came about after a special Pinin Farina-designed and Scaglietti-built special won the 1956 Tour de France road race that was held all over France. The designation was never official but was used to describe the cars by the factory. The design was put into production and a total of 79 were built between 1956 and 1959. They were built in four distinct series. This is a Series IV car, the 30th of the 36 built (Series IV are the most numerous). What sets it apart is the fact that it has but one vent behind each of the side windows as well as uncovered headlights (although some export models had the headlight covers fitted, making this even rarer).

Right from the get-go, this car was used for competition. It competed in hill climbs all over Italy in the hands of its first owner, reaching the podium in its class multiple times and winning a few as well. After only three years on the circuit, the car exchanged hands for the first time, and then hopped from here to there, spending years in some of the world’s great collections.

It has competed in the historic Mille Miglia and was restored by its current owner, who acquired it in 2002. While the ‘Tour de France’ 250 GT may not be a 250 GTO, their prices have risen steadily over the years and they remain one of the most collectible (and by that I mean “expensive”) variants of the 250 GT. Only serious Ferrari collectors need apply, as the pre-sale estimate is listed at $2,900,000-$3,850,000. For more information, click here. And for more from RM in London, click here.

Update: Sold $3,160,000.