Just another collection
We have tried to explain this before, the Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta. Which are just better known as “Tour de France”. But that was one of the earliest articles on “radical” – and unfortunately became a bit confusing as a result. So here we make a new attempt, one of our dreaded collections.
First series (no louvre, probably 9 ex., 0503, 0507, 0509, 0513, 0539, 0555, 0557, 0563, 0619):
Chassis number: 0507GT
Engine number: 0507GT
delivered: 23.04.1956
Original colour: silver
special features: no louvre
first owner: Ottavio Randaccio (Milan, Italy, registration number MI 304826, competed with it at the Milla Miglia 1956, #510, dnf)
other owners: Angelo Roma (1959, Milan, Italy – the car was driven by René Trautmann in various races. And received two new fronts (covered headlights) in 1959); Maria Felicita Gattori (1962, Milan, Italy); Switzerland (1964, received a rear spoiler, sold on in 1968); Rob de la Rive Box (1968, Villmergen, Switzerland); Claus Ahlefeld (1968, Egeskov, Denmark); Sam Mann (2000, Englewood, USA, bought at Brooks auction in Monaco, approx. 750’000 dollars); RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2016, estimate 7’000’000 to 9’000’000 dollars, knocked down for 5’720’000); Brian Ross (2016, Cortland, USA).
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Chassis number: 0557GT
Engine number: 0557GT
delivered: 23.04.1956
Original colour: grey
special features: no louvre
first owner: Marquis Alfonso de Portago (won the Tour de France with it, 17.-23.9.1956, co-driver Ed Nelson, starting number 73)
other owners: Hans Tanner Team (1957, Santa Ana, USA); Keith Schellenberg (1957, Richmond, England); Paul G. Palumbo (1983, England – painted light blue, stripes); Lorenzo Zambrano (1992, Monterrey, Mexico; paid $803,000 at Brooks auction); RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2015, sold for $13,200,000.
We dedicate a separate story to this vehicle, here.
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Chassis number: 0619GT (was renumbered 0805GT in 1957)
Engine number: 0619GT (or not)
delivered: 28.03.1957
Original colour: grey
special features: no louvres
first owner: Autoval (France)
other owners: Pierre Noblet (also known as “Pertin”, 1957, 8th place at the Tour de France 1957, #163; sold back to Ferrari, renumbered 0805GT); Carlos Kauffmann (1958, Caracas, Venezuela); Julio Pola (1958, Venezuela, raced with Ettore Chimeri – total loss 1959, returned to Modena); Myrko Mertlick (1959, Venezuela); USA (1961); Chris Prewitt (1970, USA); Avi Brand (1971, Woodbury, USA); Mark Derish (1972, New York, USA); Dick Scoby (1972, Brandenton, USA); Alberto Pedretti (1974, Spring Valley, USA); Dick Scoby (1974, second time); Alberto Pedretti (1975, Spring Valley, USA, second time); William Fazzano (1976, East Greenwich, USA); Fabrizio Violati (1982, Rome, Italy – Collezione Maranello Rosso, San Marino); later: Sebastian Vettel (Switzerland); Broad Arrow Auctions, Monterey 2022, sold for $6,055,000.
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Insert: the GTZ (Zagato, 0515, 0537, 0665, 0689, 1367):
Chassis number: 0515GT
Engine number: 0515GT
delivered: 05.04.1956
Original colour: dark blue, white roof
Special features: the first of the Zagato “Tour de France
first owner: Vladimiro Galluzzi (Milan, Italy, registration number MI 312234)
other owners: Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus (1957, Milan, Italy); Orlando Palango (1957, Genoa, Italy, loaned to Luigi Taramazzo, who successfully competed in several hillclimb races with it; painted white; later Taramazzo bought the car); Luciano Ravira (1958, Genoa, Italy); Roberto Sorcinelli (1959, Caligari, Italy); Giorgio Mazza (Italy); Vittorio Malago (1960, Rome, Italy); Edwin K. Miles (1960, Los Angeles, USA); Shirley Geringer for Cary McQuoid (1961, Palos Verdes, USA); George M. Shiffler (1963, Santa Ana, USA); Edwin K. Miles (1960s, Los Angeles, USA); Walter Strader (1960s, USA); Winston van Dyke (1960s, Santa Monica, USA); Edwin K. Miles (1965, Los Angeles, USA); Charles P. Brinker (1966, Sherman Oaks, USA); David Scott (1960s, Los Angeles, USA); Edwin K. Miles (1971, Los Angeles, USA); Jim Sullivan (1971, Arleta, USA); Edwin K. Miles (1973, Los Angeles, USA); Bud Pessin (1974, St. Louis, USA); Edwin K. Miles (1982, Los Angeles, USA restoration by Steve Tillack, again dark blue with white roof, engine installed from Ferrari 250 GT SWB (1953GT), was for sale at the end of 1985 for 180’000 dollars); Erich Traber (1986, Bern, Switzerland – not sold at the Sportscar Auction in Geneva 1989 (highest bid approx. 2.1 million dollars); offered at World Vintage Auction in 1991); Lorenzo H. Zambrano (1991, Monterrey, Mexico); David Sydorick (1999, Beverly Hills, USA).
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Chassis number: 0537GT
Engine number: 0537GT
delivered: 04.06.1956
Original colour: dark grey metallic
Special features: the second of the Zagato “Tour de France”, called “Coupé Corsa
first owner: Cornelia Vassali (the wife of Camillo Luglio)
further owners: Nobili (1960, Italy); Edwin K. Niles (60s, USA, subsequently further American owners, Janpol, Drucker, Nassiry); Albrecht Guggisberg (Toffen, Switzerland); Robson S. Walton (1994, Bentonville USA)
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Chassis number: 0665GT
Engine number: 0665GT
delivered: March 1957
Original colour: black, silver roof
special features: the third of the Zagato “Tour de France”, called “Competizione
first owner: Camillo Luglio
other owners: Vladimiro Galluzzi (1958); Crepaldi (1958, Milan, Italy); J.C. Meade (1959, USA); Ed Marshall (1967, Englewood, USA); William Wright (1972, Franklin, USA); Richard Milburn (1976, Hobart, USA); Ed Weschler (70s, Nashotah, USA); Peter Kaus (1979, Frankfurt, Rosso-Bianco-Collection); Lee Harrington (1999, bought at the Brooks Auction in Gstaad, 2’753’500 Swiss Francs – USA)
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Chassis number: 0689GT
Engine number: 0689GT
delivered: 20.03.1957
Original colour: ?
special features: the fourth of the Zagato “Tour de France”, called “Lusso
first owner: Vittorio de Micheli (Florence)
other owners: Umberto Filotico (1959, Taranto, Italy – accident, new front); in the 70s and 80s in the USA, Nub Turner, Ken Hutchinson, John Delamater, Gary Rice, Charles Giapinski; Henk P.C. van de Meene (1992, Netherlands); Vincenzo Scandurra (Italy); Rick Nash (USA, restoration)
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Chassis number: 1367GT
Engine number: 1367GT
delivered: 02.07.1959
Original colour: cream-white, red interior
Specials: the last of the Zagato “Tour de France”, called “Prototipo”
first owner: Vladimiro Galluzzi
other owners: Cornelia Vassali (Camillo Luglio’s wife, 1960); James Boulware (1975, Monte Serneno, USA); Robert Gatien (1976, San Jose, USA); O. Owen (1978, USA); Pietro Brigato (1980, Vicenza, Italy)
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Second series (14 louvres, probably 9 ex., 0585, 0597, 0607, 0629, 0647, 0677, 0683, 0703, 0707):
Chassis number: 0585GT
Engine number: 0585GT
delivered: 15.11.1956
Original colour: ?
Special features: first 14 Louvres
first owner: Tony Parravano (what a nice story, see also: here)
other owners: Walt Disney Studios (60s, Hollywood, USA, appearance in “The Love Bug” (1968)); Harvey Schaub (Los Angeles, USA); Mike Schaub (Los Angeles, USA – parked it on the side of the road); J. Rothman (1977, USA); Bruce Craig Lavachek (1980, Paradise Valley, USA); David Cottingham (1994, Watford, England, via DK Engineering for £450,000, restored in 1997); Jon Masterson (1997, Long Beach, USA); RM Sotheby’s, Pebble Beach 2018, knocked down for $6,710,000, probably to Talacrest; “Skyehill” (2014, England, via DK Engineering, restoration).
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Third series (3 louvres, probably 17 ex., 0723, 0731, 0733, 0747, 0749, 0753, 0763, 0767, 0771, 0773, 0781, 0787, 0793, 0805 (0619), 0879, 0881, 0893).
Chassis number: 0879GT
Engine number: 0879GT
delivered: 03.03.1958
Original colour: Brown with black stripes
special features: 3 louvres
first owner: Wolfgang Seidel (Düsseldorf, Germany, but with Italian registration BO 94477, later MO 50823, drove numerous races, also reasonably successful)
other owners: Manfred Ramminger (1959, Krefeld, Germany); Siegfried Mahnke (60s, Cologne, Germany – offered 1966 for 6500 D-Mark, “with slight engine damage”); Gary D. Schmidt (1966, Munich, bought for 6000 D-Mark; engine overhauled in Switzerland); Christer Mellin (1973, Ljungskile, Sweden, in exchange for Ferrari 500 Mondial (0408MD); overhauled with parts from Ferrari 250 GTE (2349GT); Mauro Bompani (1997, Modena, Italy); RM Sotheby’s, Monaco 2018, estimate 7,000,000 to 9,000,000, not sold.
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Fourth series (1 louvre, probably 37 ex., 0895, 0897, 0899, 0901, 0903, 0905, 0907, 0909, 0911, 0925, 0931, 0933, 0967, 0969, 0971, 0973, 1031, 1033 (1523), 1035, 1037, 1039, 1113, 1127, 1139, 1141, 1143, 1161, 1309, 1321, 1333, 1335, 1353, 1357, 1385, 1389, 1399, 1401).
Chassis number: 0897GT
Engine number: 0897GT (and 1555GT)
delivered: 28.05.1958
Original colour: midnight blue/beige interior
special features: 1 louvre
first owner: F.A.S.T. SpA (Milan, was driven by Carlo Leto di Priolo – who also played a decisive role in the development of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ)
other owners: Prince Nicholas Zourab Tchkotoua (1959, France); Steve Earle (USA, red interior); R.W. Merritt (Bethesda, USA, engine removed); Don Peak (USA, Chevrolet V8 installed); Bill Ziering (1971, Los Angeles, USA, engine installed from 1555GT, transmission from 0710TR); Ron Spangler (1987, Bel Air, USA, offered for sale for $395,000); Donald Orosco (Los Angeles, USA, restoration); Engelbert Stieger (1990, Teufen, Switzerland, original engine found but not installed); Matthias Ficht (1995, Munich, Germany, original engine installed during restoration by GTO Engineering); Masek (2015, USA, bought for $5.6m? ); RM Sotheby’s, London 2015, estimate £4,500,000 to £5,500,000, sold for £4,760,000, offered with the following text: «This example was completed in late March 1958 and sold new to F.A.S.T. SpA, of Milan, Italy. Copies of the build sheets and the engine dynamometer tests show that this car produced an incredible 263.2 horsepower at 7,200 rpm and a similarly impressive torque output. Most 250 GT LWB Berlinettas only produced around 240 horsepower at the time! Furthermore, additional research undertaken by RM Sotheby’s has uncovered that chassis number 0897 GT raced in the Gran Premio della Lotteria di Monza on 28 June 1959, under the banner of Scuderia Ambrosiana. Wearing #20, the car was driven by Carlo Leto di Priolo, yet it failed to finish. However, it did achieve the ninth fastest time in practice at that event. The car was then sold to Prince Zourab Tchkotoua in September 1959 and re-registered as MO 53102. Under his ownership, chassis 0897 GT was raced at the 1959 Cotê de la Faucille, held on 6 September, where he finished 2nd in class and 13th overall. The prince was a devoted Ferrari client and even finished 2nd in class at the Tour de France in 1959, whilst racing chassis 0503 GT. Thereafter, the car was exported from Italy to the United States and was noted as being owned by Steven J. Earle, of Santa Barbara, California, the founder of the Monterey Historic Races. Earle sold the car in the late 1960s to another noted Ferrari enthusiast of the time, Richard W. Merritt of Bethesda, Maryland. It is believed that during Merritt’s ownership, the car’s original engine was removed, and the car was later sold to Don Peak and then Bill Zierling, of Malibu, California, in 1971. The TdF was then restored by Allen Bishop, of Pacific Palisades, who fitted an engine from a 250 GT PF Coupé, number 1555 GT. Whilst passing through the care of well-known enthusiast Don Orosco, of Carmel, California, it was again restored, this time by Nino Epifani Restorations in Berkley, in 1989, and it was then sold to Engelbert E. Stieger, of St. Gallen, Switzerland. At this time, Stieger sourced and purchased the car’s original engine. The TdF also received a partial restoration by Garage Leirer in Switzerland. In 1995, 0897 GT was sold to Matthias Fitch, of Munich, Germany. Over the course of the next 17 years, the car was regularly driven and enjoyed on rallies and historic racing events across Europe. These included the Mille Miglia on five separate occasions, the Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge, and the Le Mans Classic in both 2010 and 2012. During this time, the car was driven with engine number 1555 GT, although Fitch still retained the original engine. Recently, the original engine was reinstalled following a full rebuild by the Ferrari specialists at GTO Engineering. With only test mileage since the engine rebuild, the car is reported to be in excellent driving condition, and it would make a wonderful candidate for further historic racing events and vintage rallies. Accompanying the sale are copies of the car’s build sheet, documenting its high-horsepower specification, as well as its Italian Estratto Chronologico and period photographs that confirm its early ownership and racing history. Moreover, it is accompanied by its valid FIA HTP and A/3 Class FIVA Passport.»
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Chassis number: 0899GT
Engine number: 0899GT (well, rather not…)
delivered: 30.03.1958
Original colour: Red
Special features: 1 louvre
first owner: Edoardo Lualdi-Gabardi (Busto Arsizio, Italy, registration number VA 59245 – later also owned a 250 GTO (3413GT))
Other owners: Ferdinando Pagliarini (1958, Italy); Paul Mounier (1960, Algeria); France (from 1960, accident, cannibalised; engine installed in a 250 GT convertible, bodywork to a 250 GTE, chassis came to Jacques Ohana, Marseille); Jean-Pierre Ferry (1987, Monte Carlo, restoration at Bacchelli & Villa; new engine, probably from 0817GT); offered through Christensen, $880,000 (2002); Brendan Gallaher/Michel Stern (2014, Bend, USA); Bonhams, Quail 2017, not sold: Fantasy Junction, (2021, offered for $4,350,000); Mecum, Monterey, sold for $2,860,000, offered with the following text: «The example offered here, Chassis No. 0899GT, is an original, covered-headlight, single-louver car, originally bodied in lightweight aluminum by Scaglietti. It was delivered new to Eduardo Lualdi-Gabardi of Busto Arsizio, Italy, and raced by him at least 13 times to 12 podiums, including overall victory at the Coppa Sant’Ambroeus held at Monza in 1958. Class wins with 0899 GT during 1958 include the Coppa della Consuma and the Varese-Campo di Fiori Hill Climb. In late 1958, the car was sold to Ferdinando Pagliarini, who raced it in 1959 and took the overall win at the 1959 Castell’ Arquato Vernasca Hill Climb. In 1960, 0899GT was sold to Paul Mournier, a Frenchman resident in Algeria. Following damage suffered in a road accident in 1961, the engine, also numbered 0899 GT, was sold that year to Charles Jourdan of France, while the recoverable rear portion of 0899 GT’s bodywork went to Carrosserie Rueda in Marseilles, France. It was subsequently purchased and mounted onto a Swallow-Doretti chassis known as the Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Special. The chassis of 0899 GT, complete with gearbox, front and rear suspension, brakes, steering box, rear end, fuel tank and dash console, was purchased in 1961 by Jacques O’Hana of Marseilles, France. In 1987, 0899 GT was restored by Bacchelli & Villa of Bastiglia, Italy, with new bodywork, and a correct-type engine sourced from 250 GT Boano 0817 GT was installed and stamped 0899 GT. Between 1993 and 1997, Jean-Pierre Ferry competed with 0899 GT five times in the Tour de France Auto, and he also competed with the car in the 1994 and 1995 editions of the Mille Miglia. Given its significance, 0899 GT received a meticulous restoration in 2012 by Ferrari Classiche. Retaining the original chassis, including the suspension, brakes and gearbox, 0899 GT is powered by a proper Tipo 128 C SOHC 2953cc V-12 engine (No. 0354C) developing 260 HP with triple Weber 36 DCL/3 carburetors, and that power is delivered by the original 4-speed manual gearbox (No. 171D). Confirmation of the restoration’s authenticity and excellence came at the 2016 edition of Concorso Italiano in Monterey, California, where it was awarded Best in Show, Best of Ferrari and the Art Center College of Design Students’ Choice Award.»
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Chassis number: 0925GT
Engine number: 0925GT
delivered: 20.12.1957
Original colour: Dark red
Special features: 1 Louvre, ex works with roll bar
first owner: William Fisk Harrah (1958, Reno, USA – delivered via Otto Zipper)
further owners: 1986, eight years after Harrah’s death, auctioned by Kruse; John Mozart (1986, Palo Alto, USA); Baron Franz Mayr-Meinhof-Saurau (1988, Austria, paid $874,680 at Orion auction in Monaco – offered it for $2,100,000 in 1990); Takeo Kato (1992, Japan); IHM (1992, Frankfurt, engine restoration by Terry Hoyle, 1994 restoration by DK Engineering, offered through DK in 2003, offered through Mario Bernardi in 2006); Andreas Schlaewicke (2007, Berlin, Germany); RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2010, sold for €2,401,392); David Gornes da Costa (2010, Perroy, Switzerland).
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Chassis number: 1031GT
Engine number: 1031GT
delivered: 12.09.1958
Original colour: light blue with red stripe
Specials: 1 louvre
delivered to: Jacques Peron (France, registration number BO 06520; Tour de France 1958, Harry Schell/Jacques Peron, #163, 4th place OA)
other owners: B. Cotton (Paris, France; Tour de France 1959, Cotton/Beudin, #162, DNF); G. Tettamini (1960s, Como, Italy); Robert Magnani (1967, Point Richmond, USA, paid $4500, Rosso Dino with beige interior); David and Mary-Hoe Love (1972, Berkeley, USA); Fantasy Junction (2014, Dark Red, offered for $8.75 million); RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2021, sold for $6 million, offered with the following text: «The 52nd alloy-bodied 250 GT LWB Berlinetta “Tour de France” of 72 built, chassis number 1031 GT was originally finished in an Alfa Romeo color known as “Giulietta Blue” with a red stripe and Havana brown upholstery. These were but the least of the requests of its original owner: French industrialist and accomplished racing driver Jacques Peron, a skilled rallyist (having co-driven to overall victory at the 1951 and 1953 runnings of the Rally Morocco), circuit racer, and multi-year 24 Hours of Le Mans entrant. Peron requested a 250 TR-specification engine, a hinged engine cover to enable easy roadside repairs as a solo driver, a transmission tunnel-mounted hand brake for standing starts on hill climbs, room for two spare wheels for endurance racing, an ammeter in place of a clock, and an altimeter to determine when to change carburetor jets. He also requested that the car be completed no less than three weeks prior to the 1958 running of the Tour de France, in which he wished to take part, so that he would time to test it, become comfortable behind the wheel, and, if necessary, trouble-shoot any ills. Copies of correspondence between Mr. Peron and Ferrari are included in the file. The Ferrari factory proceeded to deliver the car with no time to spare, having declined or ignored a number of Peron’s requests, including the 250 TR-spec engine and tunnel-mounted hand brake; they did, however, offer to install the altimeter—if he would be so kind as to bring it with him upon delivery. Having already been required to present the factory with his racing resume before they would sell him the car in the first place, Mr. Peron was, shall we say, not pleased. Such was his rage that not even a highly respectable 4th Overall finish in the Tour, co-driving with the noted American sportsman Harry Schell and overcoming damage to the right front fender, could quell it; he sent Ferrari a strongly worded letter thereafter, noting sale of the car to another Frenchman, René Cotton, in 1958. Mr. Cotton soon entered the car in the Coupe de Paris at Montlhéry, where it was a DNF driven by Jean-Marc Beudin. Cotton then finished 6th Overall in the Lottery Grand Prix at Monza on 28 June 1959, then, co-driving with Beudin, DNF’d in the Tour de France of 1959. In 1960 the car was brought into the factory Assistenza Clienti at Modena for service and maintenance, still in Cotton’s ownership. By October 1963 the car was owned by G. Tettamanti, then it passed in early 1967 to Ingegnere Beneteau of Agrate. Within months it had moved to the U.S. via the SS President Arthur, arriving in San Francisco in the hands of a new American caretaker, Robert Magnani. Mr. Magnani refinished the car in red and had it regularly serviced in his ownership by Steve Griswold’s now-legendary service facility, maintaining a detailed book of service records which still accompanies the Ferrari, while also driving the car some 15,000 kilometers. In 1972, chassis number 1031 GT was sold to David and Mary Love. The Loves were great enthusiasts known for the loving long-term stewardship of their automobiles, which in addition to chassis number 1031 GT also included a 250 Testa Rossa and an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 by Zagato. Mr. Love—fondly remembered for his pioneering, tireless support for historic racing and his decades of on-track exploits in his Testa Rossa—was a fastidious caretaker who researched the car’s history carefully and maintained it with the same precision, taking pride in maintaining it mechanically himself. After it was refinished in grey with a black racing stripe, Mary Love, an accomplished vintage racing driver, drove the car at the Monterey Historics in 1973 and 1974, finishing 1st and 2nd in Class, respectively. Later that decade the engine and gearbox were rebuilt by Mr. Love. The car attended and completed six consecutive Colorado Grands between 1990 and 1995—with the Loves driving their mount to and from the event! The couple also completed the inaugural Copperstate 1000 in 1991 and the La Carrera Real in 1992. In the Tour de Marin in 2002, a ghost of the car’s past seems to have visited, when it sustained minor damage on the same right front fender that had been damaged in the 1958 Tour de France! This was corrected by 2004, with the body refinished to medium red, and the car continued to be enjoyed. During the Loves’ ownership the car was pictured in John Starkey’s respected tome on the model, The Ferrari 250 GT Story: Tour de France, and was generally considered one of the best-kept and most well-preserved examples of its kind. Only following David Love’s passing in 2014 did the prized 1031 GT become available, and was then acquired by the present owner—accompanied by the collection of documentation that had been meticulously kept over the years. This information helped enable a restoration undertaken with great sensitivity towards the originality of components throughout. Mechanical restoration was undertaken by the respected Patrick Ottis, with attention to detail that included confirming the original engine and gearbox numbers to still be present, properly restoring the wiring, and fitting such priceless pieces as original 1958 Marchal headlamps, a period battery, and an authentic washer bottle. Ottis’s superior workmanship is well-recognized and is evident in every nut and bolt of the finished product here. As the Loves had intended the previous cosmetic restorations to be “temporary,” they had carefully preserved a spot of original Giulietta Blue paint, to which the new finish was carefully matched by Charlie Potts in the course of coachwork restoration—a process aided by rare original Scaglietti paint samples possessed by Ottis. Period photos allowed the interior to be meticulously refinished to the original standard, including the black vinyl rear storage area, sized to accommodate two spare tires, and a passenger seat headrest, two of Mr. Peron’s many requests. Such was the sympathetic nature of the restoration that an etching in the door sills from the original construction was preserved. The painted Borrani wire wheels retain triple-ear knock-offs, which are seen in the earliest photos of the car. In sum, no stone was left unturned to ensure that the Ferrari would be presented exactly as it had appeared when Mr. Peron arrived at scrutineering for the 1958 Tour de France. The car was debuted at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, completing the Tour d’Elegance and being judged 3rd in Class amidst very strong competition. It has been only selectively driven since and exhibited only more at Pebble Beach, this time at Casa Ferrari as part of the concours celebrations in 2019.»
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Chassis number: 1161GT
Engine number: 1161GT
delivered: 11.03.1959
Original colour: British Racing Green
Specials: 1 louvre
delivered to: Luigi Chinetti (New York, USA)
other owners: Robert M. Grossman (1959, Nyack, USA, used in various SCCA races); Peter Sherman (1962, Maitland, USA); John Delamater (1968, Indinapolis, USA); Ken Hutchinson (1969, Tower Lake, USA, paid 4500 dollars); William Jacobs (1986, Joliet, USA, later offered for 140’000 dollars); Yoshijuki Hayashi (1986, Japan, paid $180,000, repeatedly offered for sale, most recently in 1996 for $680,000); Okamoto (1996, Japan); Ed Davies (1997, Hobe Sound, USA, bought for $600,000); RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2020, sold for $1,457,000; James Patterson (2020, Louisville, USA); RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2022, offered with the following text: “Raced in period by a respected luminary in American Ferrari circles, and the subject of a 2000s restoration by one of the niche’s leading names, this Tour de France is a particularly desirable example of the legendary 250 GT variant. According to the research of marque expert Marcel Massini, chassis number 1161 GT is the 26th example clothed in the single-vent coachwork style, and the 62nd example built overall. It is further distinguished by being the last TdF built in 1958. Copies of factory build sheets demonstrate the engine was completed in November 1958, and the chassis was subsequently dispatched to Carrozzeria Scaglietti for the sensational single-panel TdF coachwork, which was executed entirely in aluminum alloy. Finished in a lovely shade of dark green, the body was fitted with covered headlamps with chromed bezels, full front and rear bumpers, external hood-fastener claws, and unpainted triple-gill fender vents, while the interior was equipped with a rollbar and trimmed with tan leather. 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 popularize the 250 GT California Spider, among other racing endeavors. Grossman sold (or lent) 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. He also campaigned the Ferrari at Montgomery, New York, in August 1959, and finished 2nd at the Long Island Sports Car Association’s (LISCA) Interclub Championship event at Bridgehampton in September. 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 1161GT competed in a dozen races, winning six and always finishing in the top three in its class, an impressive accomplishment. Circa 1962 the Ferrari was sold to Peter Sherman of Maitland, Florida, and he later took the berlinetta with him when he relocated to Ashton, Maryland. In September 1969 Sherman sold the 250 GT to an Indianapolis-based dealer who quickly found a buyer in Ken Hutchison of Tower Lake, Illinois. Hutchison went on to keep 1161 GT for an impressive period of 17 years, during which the original green paint was kept intact. In June 1986 Hutchison sold the Ferrari to the respected Illinois-based collector Bill Jacobs. Two months later the 250 GT was acquired by Yoshiyuki Hayashi of Tokyo, Japan, and he commissioned a complete refurbishment by European Auto Restorations in Costa Mesa, California, that included an exterior refinish in rosso, and a new tan leather interior. In June 1995 the Tour de France was sold to Mr. Terada’s Art Sports of Osaka and Tokyo, and a year later the car was traded to fellow Tokyo resident Yoshikuni Okamoto in exchange for a 250 GT Short Wheelbase. Mr. Okamoto sold the Ferrari a year later to a California-based dealership, which in turn sold the car to noted collector Ed Davies in Florida. Mr. Davies had the engine rebuilt and went on to enjoy the berlinetta in several vintage events, racing it in the Shell Historic Ferrari Challenges held in conjunction with the 2000 and 2001 Cavallino Classic, and exhibiting it at the Cavallino Classic Concours d’Elegance in January 2000. In August 2000 he raced the TdF again at the Shell Historic Ferrari Challenge at Elkhart Lake, and four years later the car was campaigned at the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca. In August 2005 Mr. Davies sold the Tour de France to the consignor, and he set about a high-quality restoration with the intention of exhibiting the car at major events. During 2005 the 250 GT was entrusted to the marque experts at Motion Products Inc. in Neenah, Wisconsin, for a comprehensive restoration that was capped with a new finish in rosso complemented with a central stripe in French blue. The interior was also re-trimmed with blue leather and fitted with a new rollbar. The Ferrari’s exhibition run began at the 2006 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and continued 10 months later with an appearance at the 2007 Cavallino Classic. The TdF was then re-submitted to Motion Products in January 2008 for some corrections, and following this work the car was again presented at the Cavallino Classic, this time winning an FCA Silver Award. In July 2010 the 250 GT was displayed at the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance, and the owner subsequently enjoyed it during a successful run on the 2013 Colorado Grand”. Sold for 5’340’000 dollars.
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Chassis number: 1385GT
Engine number: 1385GT (310D)
delivered: 02.05.1959
Original colour: red/black
Special features: open headlights
first owner: Luigi Piotti, Milan (registration number MI 424573)
other owners: Peter Staehelin (60s, Basel, Switzerland); Alberto Pedretti (1975, Wide World of Cars, Spring Valley, USA); Peter J. Morgan (1975, San Francisco, USA); Walter Luftman (1976, Stamford, USA); John and William Gelles (1979, Chappaqua, USA); Peter Giddings (1980, San Francisco, USA); Gary Schoenwald (1981, New York, USA); Ernest Mendicki (1982, Monte Vista, USA – sold via Mike Sheehan in 1984); England (1994, bought for $370,000); Philip Marcq (1996, London, England, paid $452,500, plate number KFO 474); Carlo Vögele (1997, Rapperswil, Switzerland; bought at auction by Christie’s, Pebble Beach, for $465,000, registration number SZ 903); Heinrich Kämpfer (1998, Seengen, Switzerland, registration number AG 3999; he offered the car for 1.5 million francs in 2001/2002; complete restoration in 2005); Pierre Mellinger (2006, Switzerland, via Andreas Birner); RM Auctions, London 2008, knocked down for the equivalent of $3,608,000); may be in Russia.
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