1958 FERRARI 250 GT TOUR DE FRANCE BERLINETTA - Coachwork by Scaglietti
Estimate: $6,000,000 - $8,000,000
Chassis: 0909 GT
Engine: 0909 GT
One of Only 36 Single-Louver TdFs Built; Desirable Covered-Headlamp Example
Campaigned in Numerous European Hill Climbs Between 1958 and 1961
Restored by Motion Products Inc. to Exacting Concours-Quality Standards
Best of Show and Enzo Ferrari Memorial Award Winner at the 2019 FCA Nationals
Ferrari Classiche Certified with Original Chassis, Body, and Drivetrain
Offered with Extensive Documentation, Restoration Records, and Massini Report
Technical Specs:
2,953 CC Tipo 128C SOHC Alloy V-12 Engine
Three Weber 36 DCL3 Carburetors
240 BHP at 7,000 RPM
4-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Hydraulic Finned-Aluminum Drum Brakes
Front Independent Suspension with Coil Springs and Houdaille Shock Absorbers
Rear Live Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs and Houdaille Shock Absorbers
In 1956, Ferrari responded to the FIA’s new GT Class championship by creating a dual-purpose, road-racing model based on the 250 GT. With a competitiontuned, three-liter V-12 and lightweight aluminum coachwork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, the resulting 250 GT Berlinetta was a potent force in sports car racing through the late 1950s.
The new Ferrari was particularly dominant in the grueling, multi-stage Tour de France, which it won four consecutive years beginning in 1956. Appropriately nicknamed the Tour de France (TdF), approximately 78 examples of these 250 GT Berlinettas were built in four distinct body styles – no-louver, 14-louver, three-louver, and single-louver – with corresponding mechanical updates designed to improve performance and durability.
Over the past six decades, the Tour de France has become one of the most sought-after and collectible of all classic Ferraris. Marrying advanced engineering with magnificent aesthetics, the TdF achieved a fantastic racing record and left an enduring influence, paving the way for future competition Berlinettas such as the 250 GT SWB, 250 GTO, and 275 GTB/C.
The Tour de France presented here, chassis 0909 GT, is the seventh of 36 examples built in the attractive single-louver style and even fewer were originally fashioned with the elegant covered-headlight treatment so desired by collectors.
Constructed in spring 1958, this TdF was specified with a competition-prepared type 128C engine, 8 x 34 final drive ratio, polished Borrani wire wheels, and dark red bodywork.
Completed that May, 0909 GT was sold to its first private owner, Walter Lambert of Grenchen, Switzerland. The manager of a mechanical engineering firm and an avid sports car enthusiast, Lambert raced his new Ferrari with great success in the European Hillclimb Championship and in local competitions, capturing several class and overall wins while participating in at least 20 events through 1960.
After M. Lambert acquired a new competition-prepared 250 GT SWB in 1960, chassis 0909 GT was sold to Tommy Spychiger of Langenthal, Switzerland. The son of a prominent Swiss industrialist, Spychiger was a rising star in the Swiss racing scene. He began his career in the late 1950s driving a Jaguar and OSCA in hill climbs and circuit races, and later cut his teeth in the competitive Formula Junior series. In 1960, he made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; during the 1962 season, he was hired to drive for the Abarth and Porsche factory teams. Sadly, his career was cut short in 1965, when he was killed at Monza driving a Ferrari 365 P2 for Scuderia Filipinetti.
Spychiger had raced 0909 GT in several European hill climbs during the 1961 season before selling it to Cox Kocher in 1963. During the 1960s and early 1970s, the Ferrari passed through several Swiss owners and then was sold to Reinhard Sammueller of Munich, Germany. During his decade-long ownership, Mr. Sammueller entered the TdF in several major historic events including the Mille Miglia Storica, Ferrari Days in Modena, and the Ferrari Club Deutschland Meeting.
In 1986, noted Swiss Ferrari collector Heinrich Kaempfer acquired 0909 GT and kept it for approximately three years before selling it to Dr. Juerg Heer of Zurich. Restored by Carrosserie Klaeger under his ownership, the Ferrari was subsequently sold, in 1994, to German collector Dieter Holthausen.
Well-known car collector Nicolaus Springer was the TdF’s next owner, and he appropriately entered the Ferrari in the 1997 edition of the Tour Auto. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, 0909 GT was owned and actively campaigned in historic racing by the great Swiss collector Carlo Vögele, whose outstanding stable has included some of the finest Italian sports and racing cars. While in his care, this Ferrari participated in Spa Ferrari Days, the Historic Festival at Silverstone, Tour Auto, and numerous Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge Races.
Significantly, Mr. Vögele had 0909 GT certified by the Ferrari Classiche Department during his ownership. The accompanying Red Book attests that this Tour de France is an authentic example, noting that it retains its original chassis, bodywork, engine (internal no. 0222 C), gearbox (internal no. 91 C), rear end (internal no. 188 GTC), and other major components.
After passing through two additional collectors in Germany and England, 0909 GT was sold to the current caretaker, a respected American collector, in 2017. Soon after taking delivery of the Tour de France, the consignor engaged Motion Products Inc. (MPI) of Neenah, Wisconsin, a firm widely regarded as the leading Ferrari specialist in the US, to perform a complete, ground-up restoration.
Having previously collaborated with MPI on restorations of other significant Ferraris, the consignor was confident that the results of this endeavor would be in keeping with his exacting standards. MPI then embarked on a complete restoration, conducted in a no-expense-spared manner, with the goal of presenting the TdF at the highest levels of judged competition. This work included stripping the bodywork to bare metal, assessing and rebuilding mechanical components, and reassembling the car with exacting attention to detail.
During this process, the Ferrari’s body was meticulously prepared, included reshaping the nose to match original dimensions, and tastefully finished in a period-correct paint scheme – silver gray accented by a central tricolore (three-colored) stripe. Inside, the interior was trimmed in handsome black leather with light gray carpets, and the wrinkle-finish dashboard was carefully restored. The engine was rebuilt and then tested and tuned on a dynamometer.
Following its two-year, nut-and-bolt restoration, 0909 GT made its debut at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in August 2019. Shown selectively since, the TdF has received a Platinum Award at Cavallino Classic, Excellence in Class and Finest GT at Classic Sports Sunday at Mar-a-Lago, as well as Best of Show and the Enzo Ferrari Memorial Award at the Ferrari Club of America National Concours. In addition to these accolades, 0909 GT also successfully completed the 2019 Colorado Grand, demonstrating that its performance is commensurate with its good looks.
The high-quality presentation of 0909 GT is further supported by an extensive documentation file that includes copies of the factory build sheets, numerous period photographs, race reports, ownership records, research notes, service invoices, Marcel Massini’s history report, and restoration records from Motion Products Inc.
Today, 0909 GT is among the most outstanding examples to be found of the covered-headlight, single-louver Tour de France – the ultimate evolution of this important 250 GT model. Not only does this car possess a rich, well-documented history, it raced in numerous European hill climbs in period and has a superb provenance, with a roster of knowledgeable owners. In the hands of the current caretaker, this Ferrari has been treated to a brilliant restoration conducted by one of the leading experts in the field, which has earned some of the most meaningful awards on the concours circuit. Above all, this Tour de France comes with Ferrari Classiche Certification, attesting to its authentic nature.
Gooding & Company is proud to present this exceptional Tour de France and recommends it to any collector looking to experience one of the all-time great competition Ferraris.
