A 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France joins the many other featured Ferraris at the 2012 RM Auctions Monterey auction, scheduled for August 17–18 in California.
Finished in its red with blue and white stripe exterior with Scaglietti coachwork, the 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’, chassis 0585 GT, was the first 14-louver TdF built of a total of nine units.Originally purchased new in 1956 by the Italian national and southern California building construction magnate, Tony Parravano, 0585 GT was immediately shipped to California, where it has spent the majority of its life.
Following Parravano’s ownership, it eventually came into the possession of Walt Disney Studios, who used the car in a co-starring role in the 1966 Disney movie, The Love Bug. The recipient of a comprehensive restoration by marque specialists in the late-1990s, in recent years, 0585 GT has been actively campaigned in a number of vintage rallies, including the Mille Miglia and the Shell Ferrari/Maserati Historic Challenge, as well as numerous entries in the Tour Auto. More recently, it was displayed at the 2011 Quail Motorsports Gathering where it won “The Great Ferraris” class. (Estimate available upon request).
Shelby Myers, Managing Director, RM California, commented, “The Tour de France is one of Ferrari’s most celebrated models. The car on offer—a 14-louvre example—is particularly exciting, as it is among the rarest and most sought after of TdF’s and comes fresh to the market, offered for the first time in 14 years.”
Myers continued, “I feel that Ferrari Tour de Frances, as a group, are undervalued in the current market. This being the ultimate example, is deserving of close inspection, and I expect it will comfortably rank among the top sales on the Monterey Peninsula this August.”
In addition to the Tour de France and the previously announced 1955 410 S Berlinetta, chassis 0594 CM, other notable Ferraris on offer at the 2012 RM Monterey sale include:
- 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, chassis 9523 (Est. $1,200,000–$1,600,000);
- 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 “Speciale”, chassis 09813, previously owned by Ferrari collector, Greg Garrison (Est. $1,100,000–$1,600,000);
- 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, chassis 06681 (Est. $950,000–$1,150,000);
- 1990 Ferrari F40 supercar, chassis ZFFMN34A2M0089441 (Est. $650,000–$725,000);
- 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet, chassis 1805 GT (Est. $600,000–$700,000);
- 1974 Ferrari 246 Dino GTS “Chairs and Flares”, chassis 07908 (Est. $250,000–$325,000); and,
- Pair of 365 GTB/4 Daytonas from the 1972 and 1973 model years.
The RM Auctions Monterey sale returns to the Portola Hotel and Monterey Conference Center, August 17–18, 2012. For more information, contact an RM specialist at +1 519 352 4575 or visit www.rmauctions.com.
[Source: RM Auctions; photos: Pawel Litwinski © 2012 courtesy of RM Auctions]
