The $7.5 Million Dream Car

If you’re going to pay over $5 million for a classic car, then it better be a Ferrari.

And while it goes without saying that a $5 million-plus Ferrari is going to be an extremely beautiful piece of automotive art, even in that price range, some are clearly sexier, more sinuous or just damn visceral in their attraction.

That brings us to this 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione “Tour de France,” which is set to lead a jaw-dropping field of over 70 blue-chip automobiles at the RM Auctions’ exclusive London sale that’ll be taking place on September 8th at Battersea Evolution, one of the city’s most impressive venues.

Now any Ferrari collector will tell you that even $5 million isn’t going to get you within spitting distance of the holy grail – the 250 GTO.

But it can get you close to its predecessor, a 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione.

Now the ’56 “Tour de France” being offered in London is more likely to clock in at $7.5 million, but it’s worth the extra cash — here’s why.

Effortlessly combining luxury with unbeatable performance on the track, competition 250 GTs are highly sought after, and the TdFs, as they’re known, are among the very rarest. The London car is the eighth example of only nine that were ever built — by hand, of course.

This one placed eighth at the 1956 annual Tour de France Automobile and, later that year, came in second at the Coupes du Salon, the start of an illustrious racing career.

But we’ll let RM Europe Specialist Augustin Sabatié-Garat explain: “In many ways, the TdF is the ultimate symbol of Ferrari’s long pursuit of perfecting the dual-purpose sports car,” he says.

“As a result of their extremely low production numbers and, in turn, high desirability, these cars rarely make their way to the open market. Chassis 0563 GT is a very compelling example of its breed, as it boasts two top-10 finishes in the very race that earned the car its fabled nickname.” Time to make room in the garage.