In the annals of motor racing, a handful of significant competition models have been nicknamed for one particular example that achieved something extraordinary at an important event—think Monza or Brooklands. Not necessarily the first, or most advanced example of the model, this namesake car nevertheless attains the status of archetypal legend through its unexpected deeds.
Among Ferrari’s long-wheelbase 250 GT berlinettas, no example fits that description better than the featured lot, chassis number 0557 GT. For it was this very car that won the 1956 Tour de France Auto rally, a victory so momentous that the model was henceforth known as the Tour de France, or TdF.
This 250 GT Berlinetta is the ninth of 14 first-series cars and the seventh of nine that were clothed in Scaglietti’s early no-louvre coachwork. In April 1956, the car was sold to Marquis Alfonso de Portago, one of Europe’s most legendary personalities of the era. Godson to King Alfonso XIII of Spain, de Portago was a highly successful Scuderia Ferrari Works and privateer racing driver, Olympic-level athlete, as well as a well-known international playboy.
In September 1956, the ravishing Ferrari was entered with race number 73 at the Tour de France Auto, where it was driven by de Portago and his friend Ed Nelson. The 2,800-kilometres event included two hillclimbs, one drag race, and six circuit races, with tracks including Le Mans, Comminges, Reims, and Montlhéry. De Portago and Nelson managed to win at five of the six circuits, taking 1st overall in the Tour and beating both Stirling Moss’s factory Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and future three-time Tour winner Olivier Gendebien’s Ferrari 250 Europa GT. Their benchmark victory forever bestowed this iteration of the 250 GT Berlinetta with the name Tour de France, which has since evolved into one of Maranello’s most hallowed heritage monikers.
Three weeks later, de Portago drove the 250 GT to victory at the Coupes du Salon at Montlhéry, followed by a class win in the Rome Grand Prix, and outright victory in the Coupes USA of April 1957, marking a historic moment in that the car won every race it entered. Sadly, this would be the car’s last outing with the Marquis, as his 335 S was involved in a tragic accident a month later in the Mille Miglia in the notoriously dangerous race’s final running.
Chassis number 0557 GT was then returned to the Maranello factory and sold to de Portago’s friend, C Keith Schellenberg, a shipping magnate residing in the UK. Schellenberg kept the Ferrari for over two decades, and the car was only seldom publicly seen before being offered for sale in 1983.
This 250 GT was then purchased by enthusiast Peter Palumbo, who in turn sold the car in 1992 to esteemed marque collector Lorenzo Zambrano. During his ownership, the Berlinetta received a ground-up restoration by highly respected Ferrari restorer Bob Smith Coachworks of Gainesville, Texas.
The Tour de France was exhibited frequently over the following 12 years, winning its class at the 1994 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and International Ferrari Concours d’Elegance at Monterey, California. The Berlinetta then won the Prix Blancpain Award at the Louis Vuitton Parc de Bagatelle Concours d’Elegance and a Blue Ribbon award at the 1997 Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance. Presented again at Pebble Beach in August 2004, the Berlinetta won a 3rd-in-class award before taking a Platinum trophy at the FCA International Concours.
Following Mr Zambrano’s passing in May 2014, this exquisite and historically important 250 GT was offered for sale in August 2015, its first availability in 23 years. Purchased then by the consigning owner, the Ferrari has spent most of the last 10 years in controlled storage. In preparation for the current offering, the TdF was submitted to Ferrari Classiche for certification, where it has now been pronounced to remain extremely original, retaining its original matching-numbers engine, gearbox, rear axle, and bodywork, gaining Ferrari Classiche certification in January 2026. Delighted to revisit one of its most historically important thoroughbreds, Ferrari invited the car to be exhibited at the Ferrari Finali Mondiali races at Mugello in October 2025.
Undoubtedly the most important of all the 250 GT Tour de France examples, this long-wheelbase Berlinetta should attract top-tier Ferrari collectors and connoisseurs worldwide, sure to crown the most significant collections. Chassis 0557 GT is the only known Ferrari to take victory in every race it entered in period, win a 1st-in-class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and remain extremely original today. Furthermore, this very TdF gave the model its iconic nickname with its stunning victory in September 1956, a model name so important that it has been passed down to the highly popular modern limited production F12 TdF, making it a valuable foundation of Ferrari lore.
The opportunity to own the very best example of any particular make or model rarely comes along and the most discerning collectors always take advantage to add the very best to their collection whenever possible. Make no mistake, this is a singular opportunity to purchase a Prancing Horse of nearly unparalleled importance. Throughout Ferrari’s rich history, this exact chassis is the only known car to single-handedly change the name of its own model range following a monumental victory in the period’s most challenging race. It has rightfully claimed its place among the greatest of all Ferraris to leave Maranello.
