This week is for dreaming. After all, with all the sh* currently going on in the world, I’m quite confident that I’m not the only one feeling a need to flee reality a few minutes. Doing just that, If someone says Tour de France, or TdF in short to you, you most probably think of the world’s most famous road cycle race. Or even dream about it, depending on your disposition to cycling.

As so many other middle-aged men, I’m a road cyclist refusing to realize I’m getting old, and I certainly dream regularly about some of the legendary ascents in the Tour de France such as the Tourmalet, the Col de la Madelaine or the legendary Mont Ventoux, and climbing these at some kind of speed resembling what the pros do. Which of course is never going to happen.

If we go back in time though, there was another TdF as well, namely a car race carrying the same name, which with breaks for various wars ran more or less regularly from 1899 to 1986. As so many other things, the race was especially popular when it resumed after the second world war in the 1950’s. And in the second half of the 50’s, no other brand dominated the race like Ferrari.

So much in fact, that Ferrari chose to call the new, successful 250 GT Berlinetta the “TdF”. And if ever there was a representative of an era when car design was not bothered with safety constraints and aerodynamics but quite simply by designing strikingly beautiful cars, the TdF is certainly an excellent representative of it, and thereby a perfect dream car!

The TdF dominated the race every year between 1956 and 1959, and until it was succeeded by the short wheelbase 250 GT Berlinetta (same name, but with its introduction the original car was from then called LWB), it was built in four different, distinct series.

And yet, no more than 72 cars were built all in all, of which nine in “Competizione” race configuration. The car pictured above is one of those and was nr 15 of 17 in the third series. As you’ll note, the design was quite different to the earlier car from 1956, pictured below.

What all the TdF’s had in common however, was the beautiful, lightweight coachwork, designed by Pininfarina, and subsequently built in aluminium by Scaglietti. Actually the first body was designed by Scaglietti, as were apparently also some later ones. Things were a bit less organized in the old days.

Anyway, sticking with Pininfarina’s design, I don’t think it requires much in words – just look at it, whether it’s the two cars above, the second of which by the way won the Best of Show“-Trophy at the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance in 2021.

On the mechanical side, the V12 (what else?) was developed and improved across the different series, but is said to have produced around 260 hp. It was coupled to Ferrari’s “Competizione” gearbox with a limited slip differential, and mechanically the car was seen as far ahead of its time and was therefore also an important milestone for Ferrari.

It goes without saying that the 250 GT, be it as LWB or SWB, is today among the most treasured and pricey classic cars out there. The car shown at the top was up for sale at Sotheby’s in Monaco five years ago an estimated at EUR 6-8m. And if you read this on the day it’s published, be aware that tomorrow Monday, 13 November 2023, the red 1962 250 GT SWB shown above is going up at Sotheby’s in Monaco, this time estimated to fetch USD 60m. Inflation anyone?

Like many other classic Ferraris, the 250 GT is thus best enjoyed as a dream – but what a dream! Of course things weren’t better in the 50’s than today, but coming out of a World War, optimism was slowly returning, and creativity was high. The 250 GT is a great illustration of that and thereby also of what we would need a bit more of today!