Think of it as the gold standard of 1950s-era Ferraris. This stunning 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta “Tour de France” (TdF), with its curvaceous aluminum body by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, was the only example of the model that left the factory painted in this shimmering shade of Oro Chiaro gold.
The unique Prancing Horse has a rich racing history and a provenance that includes participation in such high-profile events as the California Mille, Colorado Grand, and Italy’s Mille Miglia retrospective. In addition, it has maintained a level of maintenance to concours standards. All of these factors combine to make it one of the headliners at the upcoming RM Sotheby’s auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., on January 24.
The 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta “Tour de France” being offered through RM Sotheby’s on January 24.
Robin Adams, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
“This is among the very finest and best-preserved examples of this highly coveted model,” says Michael Squire, research specialist with RM Sotheby’s. “It’s a car that’s been driven to glory and further cherished by some of the marque’s most significant collectors.”
Known among Ferrari tifosi by its chassis No. 0933 GT, this sleek, two-door hardtop coupe is one of just 77 TdFs built between 1958 and 1959, and is among only 28 examples that came with the desirable covered-headlight configuration. It is also one of 36 featuring a single vent in the B-pillar. As with all TdFs, the car came powered by a throaty 3.0-liter V-12 with triple Weber carburetors, said to produce 260 hp.
Chassis No. 0933 GT was built for two-time Italian National Road Racing Champion, Casimiro “Miro” Toselli. In October of 1958, just weeks after taking delivery, Toselli drove the car to victory in Italy’s challenging Aosta-Pila hill-climb contest. A month after his hill-climb victory, Toselli reportedly shipped the car to Venezuela where he competed in the grueling 500-mile Venezuela Grand Prix, run mainly across dirt roads. He finished fourth.
Champion racers Casimiro Toselli and Mauricio Marcotulli both competed behind the wheel of this car in period.
Robin Adams, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The car stayed in South America, being sold to gentleman-racer Mauricio Marcotulli, of Caracas, who entered the vehicle in at least six top-tier road races, including the 1,000-mile Premio Ciudad de Cabimas. In early 1961, the car was passed on to Lino Fayen, a Venezuela-based French racer who proceeded to ship it back to his native France. Sadly, the Ferrari’s promising racing career came to a screeching halt when French gendarmes seized the car at the Paris Orly airport parking lot—something about a dispute between Monsieur Fayen and the French tax authorities. With Fayen having high-tailed it back to Venezuela, the TdF was locked-away in storage for more than five years, eventually being sold at a government auction in October of 1966.
“The seizure probably saved 0933 GT from the possibility of another several seasons of competition, preserving its originality and, no doubt, its bodywork,” says Squire. “It is remarkable that in its 66-year life, the car has not had a single, significant shunt or battle scar.”
The car is equipped with a 3.0-liter V-12, said to produce 260 hp.
Robin Adams, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
After the 1966 auction, the car was acquired by renowned Ferrari collector Pierre Bardinon, who had it repainted in classic Ferrari rosso red, to match most of the cars in his private Mas du Clos Ferrari museum in Aubusson, France. In 1975, Bardinon passed the car on to fellow collector, Comte Frederic Chandon de Briailles, of Moët et Chandon fame, but bought it back two years later, keeping it for another six years.
Over the following decade, a variety of other French collectors owned the car, before it was acquired in 1998 by American David Webb, who had it returned to its original Oro Chiaro paintwork. He marked the occasion by entering the car in that year’s high-profile Tour Auto road rally through France. In 2004, Webb had the car reupholstered in factory tan-saddle leather, while holding on to the original Rosso Bordeaux seats and trim.
Fast forward to Gooding & Company‘s Pebble Beach auction in 2006, where it was sold for $1.54 million to well-known California collector, and former owner of the Guitar Center chain of music stores, Ray Scherr.
Chassis No. 0933 GT racing in the 1000 Kilometers of Buenos Aires in 1960.
RM Sotheby’s
After taking delivery, Scherr sent the car to Motion Products, a Wisconsin-based Ferrari specialist, for a full nut-and-bolt restoration. When the work on his car was completed, Scherr and chassis No. 0933 GT became regulars at long-distance road rallies such as the California Mille and Colorado Grand, as well as his local Cars and Coffee events.
“My favorite thing to do is to take a spirited drive through the canyons, which are fantastic in Malibu. The car is very fast and has been pleasantly reliable,” Scherr told Forza magazine back in 2018.
The only thing that might prevent the Ferrari from reaching an even higher price at auction is that a major engine rebuild back in 2004, by Britain’s Terry Hoyle Engineering, revealed the car’s V-12 engine block didn’t come with either an engine number or internal number.
This will be the first time in 18 years that this Prancing Horse has been available for purchase.
Robin Adams, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
According to an in-depth Marcini Report on the car, the original block was likely replaced with an unstamped, factory-supplied unit—a common occurrence for Ferrari competition cars—during its early racing days. Non-original block, or not, this is still one of the finest Ferrari 250 GT LWB TdFs in existence, and worthy of taking the figurative gold in any concours d’elegance event around the world. RM Sotheby’s is estimating its value somewhere between $3.5 million and $4.5 million.
Click here for more photos of this 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta “Tour de France.”
This 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta “Tour de France” will cross the auction block through RM Sotheby’s on January 24.
Robin Adams, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s