{"id":84148,"date":"2015-07-24T17:00:18","date_gmt":"2015-07-24T21:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/?p=84148"},"modified":"2024-12-06T03:41:29","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T03:41:29","slug":"ferrari-250-tour-de-france-at-rm-sothebys-monterey-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/ferrari-250-tour-de-france-at-rm-sothebys-monterey-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"RM Sotheby’s Monterey (2015) – Ferrari 250 Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"

RM Sotheby’s seemingly saved the best for last when announcing the 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione Tour de France, chassis 0557GT, as the final headline attraction for its flagship 2015 Monterey sale, to be held August 13-15 in Monterey, California during Pebble Beach Classic Car Week.<\/p>\n

This 250 GT Berlinetta is the actual car that instituted the \u2018Tour de France\u2019 nomenclature following its overall victory at that race in 1956. The announcement of its addition to RM\u2019s Monterey lineup coincides with the release of the company\u2019s complete digital Monterey catalog, now available at www.rmsothebys.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Monterey sale continues to raise the bar for collector car auctions year after year, and we\u2019re excited to continue the tradition next month. Our specialists have handpicked a truly outstanding roster of vehicles for this year\u2019s sale, each vetted for its correctness and authenticity \u2013 it will certainly be a great showcase of our focus on quality of product and inventiveness of presentation,\u201d said Ian Kelleher, Managing Director, RM Sotheby\u2019s West Coast Division. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to round out what is certainly our finest Monterey offering to date with a car of such incredible historical significance as the first \u2018Tour de France\u2019-winning, Tour de France!\u201d<\/p>\n

The fifth of seven Scaglietti-bodied first-series competition berlinettas, RM Sotheby’s said 0557GT is certainly one of the most important \u2018Tour de France\u2019 examples in existence and “among the most historically important Ferrari competition cars ever built.” Destined for the track, it was sold new to the Marquis Alfonso de Portago, the flamboyant and daring Spanish driver, who, joined by his close friend Ed Nelson, entered the car in the 1956 Tour de France Auto. The event saw 0557GT routed at 3,600 miles and undertake two hillclimbs, one drag race, and six races at various circuits, including Le Mans, Comminges, Rheims, and Montlh\u00e9ry. Portago and Nelson managed to win five of the six circuits, claiming 1st overall and beating both Stirling Moss\u2019s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and future three-time Tour winner Olivier Gendebien\u2019s Ferrari 250 Europa GT. 0557GT\u2019s performance marked the first of four consecutive victories for the mighty 250 GT Berlinetta model at the French race, a foundation of its legend and TdF namesake.<\/p>\n

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\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione Tour de France Engine\r\n <\/div><\/figure>
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\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione Tour de France Interior\r\n <\/div><\/figure>
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\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n <\/div><\/figure>
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\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione Tour de France Right\r\n <\/div><\/figure>\n

0557GT is essentially undefeated in its racing career. Following its triumph at the Tour de France, Portago piloted the car to a 1st-overall finish at the Coupes du Salon at Montlh\u00e9ry in October 1956, followed by a 1st place finish at the Rome Grand Prix that same year. He went on to drive the car to the top of the podium at the Coupes USA in April 1957. Following Portago\u2019s tragic and untimely death at the Mille Miglia in May 1957, 0557GT was returned to the Maranello factory and offered by the Portago family to Alfonso\u2019s friend, C. Keith W. Schellenberg, of Richmond, Yorkshire, England, who kept the car for the next two decades.<\/p>\n

Since that time, 0557GT has passed through a well-documented chain of owners, has been the recipient of a ground-up restoration by marque specialists, and subsequently, exhibited at many events. It is important to note that it has never been wrecked or suffered any major damage, and remains highly original, which is unusual for a car with such racing pedigree. In recent years, 0557GT\u2019s success on the track has transferred to the show field, with the Ferrari earning numerous awards, including at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Presented in “wonderful” cosmetic and mechanical condition, it is offered at RM Sotheby\u2019s Monterey sale for the first time in 23 years, where it is expected to set a new benchmark for the model. A short video of the Tour de France in action is available for viewing here<\/a>. (Estimate available upon request).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018Tour de France\u2019 is the first significant model in Ferrari\u2019s successful 250 lineage \u2013 it predates the Testa Rossa, the SWB Berlinetta, the 250 GTO and the 250 LM, and, as such, represents an important milestone in the company\u2019s history,\u201d said Alain Squindo, Vice President, RM Sotheby\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Squindo continued, \u201c0557GT is part of a very exclusive group of Ferrari\u2019s most historically important individual cars, as famous designations like \u201cMille Miglia,\u201d \u201cDaytona,\u201d and of course \u201cTour de France\u201d were earned by singular cars that reigned victorious at those races. 0557GT therefore stands head and shoulders above its fellow stablemates, which it effectively named. Add to that the car\u2019s history with Fon de Portago, its exquisite presentation and freshness to market, and the scene is set for a very, very memorable Monterey auction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione Tour de France Interior\r\n <\/div><\/figure>
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\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione Tour de France Rear\r\n <\/div><\/figure>\n

In a year where Ferrari is set to take center stage at the Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance, it is fitting that the TdF is surrounded at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2015 sale by 37 other examples from the Maranello marque. Among other highlights, the previously announced<\/a> 1950 Ferrari 275S\/340 America Barchetta, chassis 0030MT, one of nine Works-entry Ferrari barchettas of the 1950s and raced in period by Alberto Ascari, Giovanni Bracco and Gianni Marzotto (Est. $7,500,000 – $10,000,000); and, the 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe \u2018Boano Prototype\u2019, chassis 0435GT, the fourth of nine Pinin Farina-bodied prototypes and formerly owned by racing manager, Paul Blancpain (Est. $1,250,000 – $1,750,000).<\/p>\n

Additional entries include:<\/p>\n