The history of Ferrari’s greatest front-engined competition cars begins with the 250 GT LWB Berlinetta. Conceived as the epitome of the true dual-purpose Ferrari, it was a machine that could be driven to the circuit, raced at the highest level, and then driven home again. It established the formula from which every great competition Berlinetta that followed would evolve, providing the foundation for legendary models such as the 250 GT SWB and, ultimately, the 250 GTO. Few Ferraris have had such a profound influence on the marque’s history.

Originally introduced at the 1955 Paris Motor Show, the 250 GT LWB Berlinetta quickly proved itself on Europe’s greatest roads and circuits. Between 1956 and 1959, it achieved an extraordinary four consecutive outright victories at the Tour de France Automobile, a feat unmatched by any other Ferrari model before or since. Such was its supremacy that the Berlinetta became forever known simply as the ‘Tour de France’ – one of the very few Ferraris whose identity was shaped not by the factory, but by competition success itself.

Among the seventy-seven ‘Tour de France’ Berlinettas constructed, the earliest examples are regarded as the most desirable. Their elegant, uninterrupted rear bodywork, free from the distinctive cabin-extraction louvres adopted on later cars, has made them instantly recognisable among collectors. Just nine such Scaglietti-bodied “no-louvre” examples were ever built, and this car is the ninth and final example of this beautiful first-series configuration.

Completed at Maranello in late 1956 before receiving its coachwork at Carrozzeria Scaglietti, it was delivered on 28 March 1957 through Société Autoval in Paris to one of France’s most respected gentleman drivers, Pierre Noblet. During the 1957 season, Noblet campaigned the car extensively before achieving its defining result at the Tour de France Automobile, where he finished an outstanding eighth overall against works-supported Ferraris and some of the greatest names in international motorsport, including Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill and Stirling Moss.

Following its successful competition career, the Berlinetta passed through several distinguished custodians before, in 1986, being acquired by the late Fabrizio Violati, founder of Ferrari Club Italia and creator of the legendary Maranello Rosso Collection. Regarded as one of the world’s greatest Ferrari collections, it housed many of the marque’s most significant competition and road cars, with chassis 0805 GT remaining in Violati’s ownership for almost three decades.

Its next custodian would prove even more significant. In 2016, the car entered the ownership of four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Determined to return the Berlinetta to the exact appearance in which Pierre Noblet had contested the 1957 Tour de France Automobile, Vettel commissioned Carrozzeria Zanasi of Maranello to undertake a comprehensive restoration. Between 2020 and 2023, the aluminium body was painstakingly returned to its original first-series no-louvre configuration before being refinished in the historic Ferrari colour of Azzurro La Plata. The restoration was subsequently recognised by Ferrari Classiche, which awarded the coveted Red Book certification, confirming that the car retains its matching-numbers status, including its original chassis, engine and gearbox.

Today, this remarkable ‘Tour de France’ Berlinetta represents the very epitome of Ferrari’s dual-purpose competition Berlinettas. It combines extraordinary rarity as the last of the nine no-louvre Scaglietti-bodied examples with period competition history at the race that gave the model its name, exceptional provenance spanning Pierre Noblet, Fabrizio Violati and Sebastian Vettel, together with the reassurance of Ferrari Classiche certification confirming its matching-numbers status, including its original chassis, engine and gearbox.

It is a truly significant car with a very special history.