HOME   ABOUT   STRATEGY   CURRENT TRENDS   WATCH LIST  AUCTIONS   CONTACT

Legendary Race Cars  










1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione 'Tour de France' by Scaglietti


                                                           
< PREVIOUS     MORE PHOTOS     NEXT >
Sold for $7,852,000  on September 8, 2014 

225 bhp at 7,000 rpm, 2,953 cc SOHC V-12 engine with three Weber carburettors, four-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox, independent front suspension with unequal length A-arms and coil springs, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and parallel trailing arms, and four-wheel drum brakes. Wheelbase: 2,600 mm

The eighth of nine 1956 250 GT Berlinetta Competiziones
Outstanding period racing history
Top 10 finishes at the 1956 and 1957 Tour de France Automobile
Matching-numbers example and certified by Ferrari Classiche
Original user manual, spare parts catalogue, and comprehensive history file included

When Ferrari’s first 250 GT Berlinetta left the factory gates in March 1956, one can only assume that the engineers that had built and designed the car had no idea of the impact the factory’s newest berlinettas would have on the future of Ferrari’s most sporting line of road cars. The first iteration of the 250 GT Berlinetta would achieve great success on race tracks across Europe, and it would lead to even more successful cars that would be derived from the same platform in the future. These berlinettas were undoubtedly the most desirable cars in the Scuderia’s stable, as they were built as dual-purpose sports cars. They combined all the luxury and performance Ferrari had to offer but in a driver-friendly package. There was nothing that these cars could not do in the eyes of their drivers.

The 250 GT Berlinetta’s nickname owes itself to Alfonso de Portago, his co-driver Edmont Nelson, and their win at the 1956 Tour de France, which was the first for Ferrari’s 250 GT Berlinetta. Following de Portago’s result in 1956, Olivier Gendenbien led Ferrari to overall victories for the next three years, cementing the car’s nickname into the annals of automotive history with a compelling show of engineering and competitive dominance. The TdF also picked up an overall victory at the Targa Florio in 1957 and won the GT class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959.