Words: Chris Rees
Ferrari’s celebratory liveries programme concludes in style
The very last Tailor Made ‘70 Years’ Ferrari has been delivered to its new owner. A stunning blue Ferrari GTC4Lusso, it marks the culmination of the unique Tailor Made programme that has so successfully celebrated the 70th anniversary of the marque. The ‘70 Years’ programme reimagined Maranello’s contemporary range of cars by applying to them 70 of the company’s most symbolic historic liveries – one from each year of Ferrari’s lifespan.
Conceived and executed by the Ferrari Design and Tailor Made departments, these liveries reflect some of the most significant Ferraris ever made, both road and racing models, from 1947 to date.
The process involved not just reimagining the 70 exterior liveries, but also creating the interiors, taking inspiration from each relevant historic ‘muse’. Precise recreations of the cars’ original specifications, colours and details were reached by working directly from Ferrari’s own archives. All the ‘70 Years’ models have been crafted individually by Ferrari’s Tailor Made department. The liveries were available on five models in Ferrari’s range: the California T, 488 GTB, 488 Spider, GTC4Lusso and F12berlinetta. Therefore no fewer than 350 totally unique, one-of-a-kind models were created in all, each one a highly desirable work of art in its own right and a true collector’s item.
The car you see here is the very last of the celebratory ’70 Years’ line. The custom-made project is based on a Ferrari GTC4Lusso, and its chosen livery was inspired by the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti. This version of the 250 GT is commonly called the ‘Tour de France’ (or ‘TdF’) because it won the 1956 Tour de France endurance motor race.
Convention had it that any manufacturer whose car won the event was permitted by the organisers to use the name in the car’s model title. Although Ferrari never adopted the ‘Tour de France’ nomenclature officially, it has become an accepted term to identify this series.
With its very bold, light blue colour scheme, the car that inspired this particular livery was the one owned by Spanish racing driver Marquis Alfonso de Portago, who took the 1956 Tour de France victory in it. The 250 GT Berlinetta Scaglietti was one few competition ‘berlinettas’ (coupes) created by Ferrari and the first in the legendary berlinetta series. Between 1956 and 1959, these cars proved perfect for driving to the track and also racing – and winning – in the GT category.
Befitting its bespoke status, the GTC4Lusso bears a ‘One of One’ plaque in its cockpit, as do all ‘70 Years’ anniversary cars.