During its illustrious history, Ferrari has built many superlative models with a berlinetta body style.

Few of them can compare, in both beauty and competition success, to the 250 GT “Tour de France.” Born in the wake of the disastrous 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 250 GT berlinetta was an attempt to capitalize on the FIA’s revised racing classes, which placed a newfound stress on production-based grand touring cars.

With production of the 250 GT road car already in full swing, the new model required only some minor modification to result in a competitive race-winner.

While the 3-liter type 128 Colombo short-block V-12 was fitted with triple Weber 36 DCL/3 carburetors (often with velocity stacks) to improve induction and resulting horsepower, the chassis was clothed in striking new coachwork from Scaglietti that was formed from lightweight aluminum alloy.

In combination with Perspex glass and a minimally equipped cockpit, the new berlinetta boasted an improved power-to-weight ratio...