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Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France" new article content ...

The car earned it's Tour de France name when Alfonso de Portago with Edmund "Ed" Nelson was able to hold off the Mercedes-Benz 300SL of Stirling Moss and

250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France"
The 250 GT Berlinetta, nicknamed the "Long Wheelbase Berlinetta", was also called the "Tour de France" after competing in the 10-day Tour de France automobile race. Seventy-seven Tour de France cars were built, of which a number were sold for GT races from 1956 through 1959. Construction was handled by Carrozzeria Scaglietti based on a Pinin Farina design. The engine began at 240 PS but eventually rose to 260 PS. Pirelli Cinturato 165R400 tyres (CA67) were standard.

At the 1956 Geneva Motor Show, Scaglietti displayed their own 250 GT prototype, which became known as the limited-production, Series I, “no-louvre” 250 GT Berlinetta. The first customer car was built in May 1956, with production now the responsibility of Scaglietti in Modena. Fourteen "no-louvre" and nine “14-louvre” Series I and II Berliettas were made.

There were four series of 250 GT Berlinettas. In mid-1957 the Series III cars were introduced, with three louvres and covered headlights. Eighteen were produced. The 36 Series IV cars; retained the covered headlights and had a single vent louvre. Zagato also made five "no-louvre" superlight cars to Ugo Zagato's design.

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http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/march-1963/36/development-250gt-ferrari

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 250GT FERRARI
<!-- Page 36, March 1963

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2506T FERRARI

[The zsoGT Ferrari must surely represent the ultimate in modern high-speed sporting travel, or G.T. competition, and holds today a position rather similar to the Bugatti 57SC of 1939. In 1962 the GTO Ferrari coupes had a remarkable season of successes in G.T. racing and have become the standard by which any competition coupe is measured. The following article by K. H. Miska traces the story of a car that started life as long ago as 1948 and by steady development has become one of the world's greatest cars.]

IT WAS only with the advent of the type 25o Europa that Ferrari seriously considered series producing a touring car. Up to then, few touring coupes and convertibles were produced and, even then, these differed quite radically from each other. Touring of Milan, Vignale and Ghia of Turin practised their art and produced a few, at times bulky, coupes but never were any of these an attempt to series produce a real touring car. Frequently these were cars built for special customers and the chassis which were used, were those of outright sports racing machinery. Eventually Enzo Ferrari had the foresight to want to build a car which would be equally at home on the boulevard or the racing course.

Today's 25oGT Berlinetta can be traced back to 1948/49, a time when the type 166 Inter was produced in very small quantities. Powered by the famous Colombo designed VI2 of 60.0 •< 58.8 mm. —1,995 c.c., this model produced a mere Ito b.h.p. at 6,000 r.p.m. The compression ratio was 7.5 to 1. Something that has not changed, with the exception of the Lampredi designed Viz powering the type 250 Europa, was the classic 58.8mm. stroke of this engine. This stroke measurement threads its way through all Ferraris leading to the 250GT. The 166 Inter used a single 32 DCF Weber carburetter. The five speed gearbox was only synchronised on 3rd and 4th. The car also laid groundwork for the suspension of the modern Berlinettas. Two wishbones, together with a transverse leafspring, were used in the front. Semi-elliptic leafsprings and radius rods were combined with a live axle to suspend the rear. The frame was simple. Large diameter steel tubes were used. Dry, the car weighed 2,160 lbs.

The type 195 Inter succeeded the 166. Essentially the car was the same but bore was increased to 65 mm. giving a displacement of 2341 c.c. Power output was up to 130 b.h.p. at 6,000 r.p.m. and while early models of this type used a single 36 mm. Weber carburetter, later models were fitted with three Webers. The five speed transmission was carried over, the ratios being 3.08 on 1st, 1.9 on and, 1.38 on 3rd, direct drive on 4th and 0.925 on 5th. Frame and suspension remained the same, and it was on this type of Ferrari chassis that the first coupe body was fitted.

The last of the Inter models was the type 212 first built in 1952. Boring the 2,340 c.c. engine out to 68 mm. resulted in the type 212 Inter engine of 2,562 c.c. Horsepower increased to 170 at 6,500 r.p.m. and three Weber 32DCF twin-choke carburetters were used. A new gearbox was built with the following ratios; lit being 3.15, 2nd 1.95, 3rd 1.40, 4th t.00 and 5th 0.91 to one.

Again suspension followed along lines used on previous models. For European use the car was built on an 8 ft. 61 in. wheelbase. On the shorter 7 ft. eti in. wheelbase the same model became known as the 212 Export. Models came through with the single carburetter layout and for racing the three Webers were bolted on. The factory issued two catalogues for this type; the first showing various touring cars with coachwork by Ghia, Farina and Vignale while the second showed a lean coupe with body by Touring. These coupes by Touring were also known as the Tuboscocca. The American Ferrari exponents Kimberly and Spear raced these cars in early Watkins Glen and 13ricigehampton races.

The Type 250 Export of 1951 represented the last increase of displacement in the series of models which paved the way for the versatile Type 250GT Berlinetta. Rather than use the Colombo based engine for the 25o Export, Ferrari decided to try a linered down version of the Lampredi designed 340 America engine. This meant that the 58:8 mm. crankshaft was abandoned for a 68.0,mm. unit and with the bore the same 68.0 mm. as on the 212 Inter a capacity of 2,963 c.c. was obtained. Even though 220 b.h.p. at 7,000 r.p.m. were realised from this engine, it was not a success. Three 36DCF Webers, multi-disc clutch and a 4speed gearbox were used, the weight being 2,200 lbs.

In 1952 this 250 Export engine, using three 4-choke downdraught Weber carburetters was used in the 250MM model, a sports car used in the Mille Miglia.

Following the 250 Export came the first serious attempt to series produce a Ferrari. The 1953-55 period saw two models of the Type 250 Europa produced. One model retained the 250 Export engine and the other returned to the 58.8 mm. crankshaft. Bore on that model went to 73.0 mm. This configuration was to be the basis of all the touring cars and sports racing cars that followed ; the exception being the 4.9-litre touring cars built to special order only. First let us examine the 68 68 mm. 250 Europa. Power was similar to the Export model at 220 b.h.p. at 7,000 r.p.m. •Three newly designed Wieber 36DCF twin-choke carburetters were employed. A most important design change was not visible to the eye; the old 5-speed transmission was replaced by the 4-speed box developed for sports car use. Its ratios were 2.54 to 1 on 1st, 1.7 on and, 1.2s5 on 3rd and direct drive on 4th. Also there was a change in the braking system; two master cylinders and the two leading shoe system were incorporated. In other respects the car remained the same as its predecessors but weight, through luxurious outfitting, went up to over 2,300 lbs. dry. Built on a 9 ft. 21 in. wheelbase chassis the 250 Europa was rather large by Ferrari standards. Built on essentially the same chassis but with Wheelbase of 8 ft. 6i in. was the concurrently produced Type 250 Europa with the 73 / 58.8 mm. engine. Power was 22.9 at 7,003 r.p.m. while the 8.5 to 1 compression ratio was lower than the square engine. There was a choice of three final drive ratios for the Pinin Farina bodied coupe. On the gearboxes Porsche patented synchromesh was incorporated. Standardised suspension was carried over from the days of the Inter models but the single transverse leaf

spring in the front was eliminated in favour of conventional coil-springs. In small quantities these cars appeared in competition but still .did not threaten the supremacy of the Mercedes Benz 300SL. Gendebien and Stasse competed in the I956 Liege Rome Liege Rally but Mercedes and Porsche opposition limited them to third place. In the Mille Miglia of that year the first of the light Grand Touring coupes, driven by Gcndebien, battled with the Mercedes 300SL of Metterach and Einsiedel to come in fifth overall and first in G.T. over 2,000 C.C. The G.T. Ferrari had arrived!

Once the 25o Gran Tnrismo was born in 1956 it .went from strength to strength. All features of the 250 Europa were retained in elegant versions of the 25oGT but competition coupes began to take on the shape new found in the short chassis Berlinetta. The classic V12 now produced 240 b.h.p. 3t 7,000 r.p.m. Compression was still 8.5 to 1. Set on a chassis of 8 ft. 6„ in. wheelbase theo.T. with the 4.55 to 1 final drive ratio could reach Go m.p.h. in 6 sec. The standard European run for one kilometre from a standing start was completed in 26.R sec. With the fastest rear axle offered for sale the car was theoretically capable of [57 m.p.h. at 7,000 r.p.m. 1957 saw independent Ferrarists more active with the 25oGT. Gendebien repeated his 1956 Mille Miglia triumph by finishing third overall and first in index of performance. The Tour of France and G.T. races at Montlhery and Castelfusano fell to the de Portago driven light Seaglietti bodied 25oGT coupe. Gendebien became .a G.T. specialist when not driving sports racing Testa Rossas;. he gained victories in the Giro Sicilia and Tour de France. For 1958 the FIA had seta limit of 3-litres for sports racing cars. Ferrari built a number of 12-cylinder Testa Rossas and with these swept the Manufacturers' Championship. Engines Of G.T. Ferraris built after 1958 and right upto the present owe much of their performance to these Testa Rossas. During 1959 it was decided to use the cylinder heads from 1958-59 production 250 T.R.'s in constructing the 250GT. The spark plugs were moved from the inside of the V to the outside or exhaust side. A suitable

shield protects wires leading to the spark plugs. The siamesed intake ports of the old heads were done away with in favour of six separate ports. The three 36.0 mm. twin-choke Webers were replaced by the larger 38DCL3's; Testa Rossa sports cars used six of these. Certain 250GT's, built for special cusronters, breathe through three 4-choke 38IF carburetters. These special G.T.'s now were up to 267 b.h.p. at 7,000 r.p.m. versus the standard 240 b.h.p. at 6,800 r.p.m. cars. Experiments with disc brakes had been started by Peter Collins, his personal car serving as a test bed for a set of Dunlop disc brakes, and these became standard in 1960 with the introduction of the short-chassis competition model, of 7 ft. Ili in. wheelbase. At this point a more accurate analysis of this fabulous dualpurpose engine is in order. The machined from solid bar crankshaft runs in seven main bearings, one on each side of the six throws. An ordinary gear type oil pump is driven off the front of the crank and oil is supplied to the mains of the connecting rods by means of regular crankshaft drilling. Dry sump lubrication is not used. The two overhead camshafts are driven by triple chains. Very short rockers actuate the valves and the end in contact with the cam is now a roller follower in lieu of the older radiused contact surface. Two hairpin type springs close each valve. Both intake and exhaust are at 45 degrees to the cylinder head. The combustion chamber's surface is based on two imaginary spheres centered about the valve stems. Compression ratio is a, by modern American standards, modest 9.8 to 1. All those beautiful valve springs, valves and rockers are enclosed in the traditional Ferrari valve covers; these are held down by sixteen nuts. Fuel is supplied by two pumps; one mechanical and one electrical controlled by the driver. The gasworks have been described above. Timing of G.T. 13erlinetta engines as opposed to the conventional G.T. cars is only a hairbreadth away from the 250 T.R. sports cars. Intake duration for the G.T. is 276 degrees whereas the Berlinettas enjoy 294 degrees, only 4 degrees less than the Testa Rosso; exhaust duration being 270 degrees for G.T. 's and 290 degrees for Berlinettas and T.R.'s. In terms of valve lift the Berlinetta is Continued on page 178 -->

Tour of France 1956
<!-- TOUR DE FRANCE 1956

September 17th 23rd

SOMF 6h-a of th, ,cverit y of the Tour of France eau 1,,• from Ow result, of I he General Classification, Oil II he first three phices taken by Marquis de Portago. Stirling Moss anti Olivier Gendcbien. the cars they used being Ferrari Europa 3-litre. Mercedes-Benz 300SL and Ferrari Europa. with another SI, Porsche Carrera, two Giulietta Sprint Wpm and yet another Ferrari Europa following: on. This enormous rally, covering more than 6,000 kilometres throughout France, was no milk-and-honey ffair. as the above results indicate and success was gained by competitionbred Gran Turismo cars driven by drivers with Grand Prittexperience. The route took in every possible, type of road that France-possesses and, starting on the morning of September 17th. it continued until the evening of September 23rd with only two night stops, one at Le Mans and the other at Vichy, and the hardest part of the route. that Which took in the Alpine passes around Briancon, had to be done at night.

Altogether 103 competitors left Nice at minute intervals, and by devious back roads and with an average speed varying between 55 and 60 k.p.h. they made their way to the first special test. Broadly speaking the Tour Consisted of visiting all the major racing Circuits in France, and taking part in a ,eratch race at each one. Throughout the rally points were lost. t he times in the races being translated front seconds into points, and the criiw with the minimum total at each stage were adjudged to he in the lead of the general category. In addition, the entry was divided into two classes. Strictly Series and Non-Series, all cars having to be of the Touring or Grand Touring type as listed by the F.I.A. The General Category was a free-for-all and the two groups were subject to a formula which took into account the cylinder capacity of the ears. Observing at the first test,which was a timed climb of the 21.okilometre mountain road up Mont Ventoux, near Avignon, one obtained an appreciation of worth of the entry for this super rallv. Mechanically it was to be a battle between 300S1. Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari Europa 3-litres. while not far behind were Sprint Veloce

Alfa-Roineo, and Porsche Carreras. In the small group t, ere D.B.s and Pauhards, while factory Dauphine s were up against private ones OS well a? normal Panhard saloons. Of the entry it was noticeable how few British cars were entered, there being an MCA. Jaguar and Aston Martin DB2 with French and Belgian drivers. Leaving the foot of the mountain at minute intervals, the whole entry made the timed climb, continuing down the other Side and on to the next control Without stopping. The Dyna-Panhard 54 saloons were noticeably faster than the normal Dauphines. a Denael 1,300-e.e. roared past with much noise and smoke and going very fast, while a string of Giuliettas proved yet again what fine little competition cars they are. Among them was one cornering on its rims which was driven by Harry Schell, and only a little slower were Guelf and Frere in similar ears. Of the Porsehe Carreras one could be seen to be outitandingly fast from a

long way off, and it was driven by Jean Behra-with his brother as passenger. To end the string of standard production models canto a collection of Ferraris and Mercedes-Benz, the Ferrari clan consisting of Rosier, Trintignant. de Portago, Gentlebien, Peron and Lena, and of these Rosier and Gendebien had bodywork by Farina meant more for the boulevards than the mountains, while the others had the sleek competition coupe bodies by Seaglietti. The two boulevard cars were horrible to watch, suffering front too !nue!' weight in the wrong places. and Gendebien was tying himself in knots trying to make a fast time. By contrast the others were excellent and Trintignant was going at a terrific pace, but he spun on the last hairpin and spoilt an otherwise excellent time. Three SL coupes followed, the Moroccan driver 1.a Caze making a good impression, while Jacques Pullet, Gordini Grand Prix driver and winner of the 1954 Tour of France, not only looked neat and tidy but proved to make the fastest climb of the day. By contrast this group ended on a comparatively quiet note with a climb by an X1(140 coupe. The modified group followed, this in some cases meaning only the removal of a bumper, while in others, such as the factory Dauphines, only the name remained standard. In this group Gilberte Thirion in a Porsche Carrera not Only made up a minute on the mere man who left in front of her, in a similar car, but actually overtook hint on

the outside of an unprotected corner. Modified Alfa-Romeo Ginliettas, other Porsches and a line of factory D.R. coupes. their flat-twin Panhard engines beating away lustily. all climbed web, and to close the day came four 300SI, ears. " modified " mainly in respect of removal of bumpers. radiator grilles and so on. Cotton. who climbed strongly. while Moss did the best he -could with a car he had only met that morning and on a climb he did not know well. Finally, in a series of hair-raising full-hick slides, came Mairesse, the up,and-eoming Relgian driver, and what he lacked in finesse he made up for by force, the rear wheels of hi, J. :pinning and 'serail,!ding nt the loose stones on the edge of the narrow road. While the timekeepers did seine .trithinetie the eompetitors e0a, tinned on to Nimes. for a brief .top and a check point before setting Off across the V1,1,,if Central and down towards the Pyrenees. In spite of groupiog the entries and applying a formula to make up for difference. cc eylind,•r ,•apacity. it was :won obv iou ticat the outright winner of the rally going to be the matt of till' 11101arlIt and as none or the ace. 1,,-1 point-. on the road section to Ninws the times Mom venom x beeame the circler of the day. and were Pallet. Maire-se. Nt.'s.. Cotton, de POrtagO, La Com. :on! Trintignant. Bight from the ),tird go the Mercedes-Benz carwere showing a marked superiorit) an,1 hut for de Portago had swamped the Ferrari opposition. Through Monday night the competitors made their way to St. t.ati.leus, where early on Tuesday morning a tivedap race was held round the full length of the COmminges circuit. now in good lit ion but unfortunately no longer used for serious racing. De re Moss was able to employ his racing skill to combat his !Alm.. SI, drivers and still the Ferrari boys could not make ,I11% impression and it began to look as though the Tour was going to he a walk-over lor Stuttgart maehines. A short distance farther on the competitors canic tlw Peyresoude Hill and were timed over 44., kilometres of its twisting climb, and once more it was a Mercedes-Bens benefit with Pollet being fastest, followed bv La Case and Moss, though de Portage and Trintignant improved their positions in the General Category. Leading all the small cars Caine Si ores with his SPecial

Porsche (:arrera. a 1954 Porsehe. stripped of all toinceessary weight., fitted with aluminium panels and a very healthy Carrera engine. Ili. times at Mont Vent oils ccccl Peyresoude put him well altered of eve!' Ilehra„ who was running a strict!) ?i a101ard Carrrra. "Fhrough the second night of the Tom the uiii cci 'ccc's wound its wit) up the west side of France. And it wa. t„ them at a control point at midnight on .fue,ffity. just smith et Periceitx. The oontrol was at 41 Shell tilling slidi.I/. ticsFrench shell company patronising the event. and in spite Ad the hour a vast crowd of locals turned out to watch the cars passing through or wait should they be a bit ahead of schedule. Although the a% crap speeds required were seldom ',afire than HI m.p.h. there were st her of secret checks to prevent lintteces,ar) spee.ding, anyone found to be averaging over

m.p.h. tieing disqualified. hi general the road averages were easy to maintain. especially for the big I ;ran Torismo cars, but navigators had to pay shut attention for the route lay mostly on small side roads and they had to keep an eye out for aOt gel till!! too far ahead on the easier parts. In the little village of Lalinde. c? here this particular control point was, the public interest icc the Tour Was typical itf the whole of France. Seldom th,s the mast iti the street have a ehanee to sec elose'at hand such u cicsirccicle 1.011reL1011 Of fast cars, Ferraris. 11ereedes4letts, Porsches, 1.1fit.lionteos. factory Panhards. DAC; and SO on. while those happy "utters of Dauphines or DyntsS ti ere Allle to watch with ammtement the acceleration of the factory versioua. they left the eciiiIrol. To -cc a Dauphine .pin its wheels oil a 11r) Wad. or a RR coup,: gi.e a squeak front its front tyres as he ilriV1.1. snatched second gear were things the normal French public ',Mom get .1 cham•,to enjoy al such close quarters, while cc t. 12 1.erritri being taken up to 7,000 r.p.m. op your own High street is :awayuccirtic staying cup late for. .111i, seeond night was not terrild? iliflieillt, though a certain ationint of mist in the early hour, can,ed to be strained, but I.!, breakfast time the field had arrived at the Le Mans circuit. Here a [tat-out blind hir 12 laps or the tireitil I' the Sarthe took place. COSItillUrd On page 702

with no regulations causing a limit on speed, nor was there the worrying thought of 24 hours of such racing. Here the Ferraris of de Portago and Trintignant began to make headway, though the French driver's effort Was forced to a stop when his engine suffered partial seizure, leaving the Spanish Marquis to defend Maranello honours. The other Ferraris, of Rosier and Gendenbien, were proving too touring for words and both were hopelessly outclassed. The Mercedes-Benz triumphal tour received a severe setback at Le Mans, for Moss found his car suffering from an obscure ignition fault that lost him 700 r.p.m., Cotton had a tyre burst at high speed which both frightened him and slowed him down, and Mairesse had a piston break and finished the 12 laps in a cloud a smoke. The little Alfa-Roxneos were going as well as ever, Schell once more doing prodigious things with his, though Guelfi had been forced out before arriving at Le Mans due to hitting a herd of cows. Storer was not only well up on handicap, hut in General Classification as well, and was holding his own at Le Mans when engine trouble intervened and caused him to retire. Pollet, however, was still in fine form and finished the Le Mans race still as leader of the overall event. Having been motoring almost continuously since early Monday morning, by 5 p.m. Wednesday the competitors were happy to be able to put their cars away in a locked park and retire to bed. For those with trouble nothing could be done until they had clocked out of the control at 6 a.m. the following morning. Apart from the mechanical bothers most of the Mercedes-Benz cars were through to the canvas on their tyres and there was much organising and borrowing of wheels being arranged.

Since the start the weather had been superb and Thursday morning it continued as the 72 cars still left in made a leisurely run to Rouen, leisurely that is if they had no trouble to rectify or tyres to change, in which case some pretty fast motoring was (lone in order to arrive at the Rouen circuit in time. Here the Ferraris began to show some of their race breeding and they trounced the SLs pretty thoroughly. though it must be admitted that the Moss car was still misfiring pretty badly. Even so, Pollet, La Care and Cotton were all beaten by de Portago and Trintignant, while Rosier managed to get his heavy touring model well placed. During this eight-lap test race there was much excitement and some pretty hectic driving, the Giuliettas doing some pretty hairy aerobatics. Behra was showing just how well a Carrera could be driven, and was running rings round Peron in a Europa Ferrari, while Mlle. Thirion lost only a minute to Behra during the eight laps. Although the little Panhards and D.B.$ were outclassed on the scratch placings, they were beginning to dominate the handicap class of the modified group of cars, the leader being Bernard, accompanied not only by his regular Le Mans to-driver Flahaut, but in the actual Le Mang factory PanhardMonopole coupe. Leaving Rouen the competitors continued on their way round the north of France, through Berck and Carnbrai, over the cobbles of the Pas de Calais country, and then descended to Reims, arriving there as darkness fell. The Champagne circuit was en fete, as for the French Grand Prix, and the wonderful lighting installations were going at full blast. Unfortunately there was something Of a shambles on the approach to the circuit, for the competitors' timecontrol point was actually in the, paddock and with entry to the

circuit being free for the public a big crowd turned up. The result was that competitors' and spectators' cars became rather badly tangled up and there was much shouting and confusion, together with a lot of motoring about over fields and ditches before everyone clocked in on time. Since the Rouen test de Portago had gone into the lead of the event, ahead of Pullet. Moss, La Care, Gendebien, Rosier and Trintignant, so that although the Ferraris were iiew beginning to show a superiority over the Mereedes-Benz, the initial lead by the German cars was still keeping them well placed.

The Reims teat eonsisted of 12 laps of the Grand Prix circuit and as it was now well and truly dark the electrics had to prove their worth, as well as the speed of the cars being tried to the utmost. Once again it was a Ferrari benefit. de Portago being the man of the night, followed by Pollet at a discreet distance, while Moss was dropping farther and farther back due to his recalcitrant engine. Behra was still keeping well ahead of the small cars and Schell and Frere were continuing their fierce Giulietta battle, with the American just keeping ahead. The result of t his race. kept de Portago Still in the lead, and then after midnight the more interesting part of the route began.

Turning east towards the German border • of France the route went to the Vosges mountains, made a pretty comprehensive tour of them and then descended over the Juras and down to Aix-lea-Rain. Here was the seventh special test, a very simple standing,start over half a kilometre, though the marking was severe for every second counted for 10 points, so that it was real speed-trial stuff with split seeonds affecting the general classification enormously. Pallet recorded a masterly 18.1 sec. and La Care 18.3; de Portago was winding his Ferrari up in second but as he whipped the gear-lever into third his fist knocked the ignition off and he coasted over the line, recording 20.9 sec., a loss of 28 points over Pullet. This test proved a slight revival on the part of the Mercedes-Benz. though Moss and Cotton were not very well placed, but it put Pollet back into the lead of the whole event. Another to have trouble was Bernard with h time Le Mans Panhard, for it went on toune cylinder as he left the start and it took him 63.2 see, to cover the 500 metres, which meant a loss of 632 points.

Arriving at Grenoble as darkness began to fall, these that still remained in the rally had to tackle the most difficult part of the road section, for the route (lid a complete circuit of the Alpine passes between Grenoble and Briancon and the whole way was in darkness. Altogether 26 competitors fell out on this section duo to mechanical failures, lateness, or, as in the ease of Trimignant, accidents, the French driver and his co-pilot Picard running into a non-competing car that was descending the Col du Glandon while they were going up. This part of the Tour was pretty fatiguing but those teams that had a .seasoned rally driver as co-pilot had an advantage which made things more comfortable for most French rally men know the Alps intimately. By early morning the first man was arriving at St. Etienne and when the final cheek was made the total entry was Sadly depleted. There followed a 20-lap race round a very simple circuit and at the start of this Pollet was still leading on General Classification, with de Portage second and Moss just holding on to third place. La Cure had retired with a broken gearbox during the mountain section and Rosier was delayed by a broken brake pipe, and though he and his co,pilot Kantor repaired it another one split, and they arrived at

the Crest control too late to justify continuing. During the race at St. Etienne de Portage was dominating things when a stone from another competitor smashed his windscreen, which caused him to slow up. However, his close rival Pellet was also in trouble for a valve rocker broke and he finished the race on five cylinders. Having spent every spare moment in changing likely causes of the misfire and lack of power, Moss was beginning to get his MercedesBenz sorted out and during this race he was able to take second place. which regained some of his lost points.

By Saturday afternoon the control at Vichy was reached and another much-needed night's rest was allowed, while the cars remained in a closed park, and Sunday morning they set out once more at 6 a.m. for the final stage of the Tour. Although Pullet was able to repair his broken engine he could not get to the Vichy control in time and had to abandon, so that when the 37 remaining cars left on Sunday morning for a fairly easy drive to Montlhery, the order was de Portage, Moss. Gendebien (who had worked his way up by consistency and the failures of others), Behra, Cotton, Schell, Frere and Mlle. Thirion, and here it might be opportune to give a mention to the poor suffering co-pilots who either had to navigate or drive the duller road sections, the above-named stars naturally doing all the " plums " such as the races and hill-climbs. The leader had with him a friend named Nelson, who was completely inexperienced and was suffering the ardours of night-and-day motoring philosophically, Moss was with George Houel, a Parisien rallyman whose Mercedes-Benz it was; Gendebien was likewise with the owner of his car Ringoir; Behra was in his own Porsche but had his young brother Jose with him, he being well experienced in French rally work; Cotton was with his regular rally passenger Leclere; Schell was with French racing-driver Jean Vidilles; Frere with a Belgian friend Andre Scheid, and Mlle. Thirion was with Inge Polensky, wife of the German Porsche driver. The wonderful September heat-wave continued throughout the Sunday-morning run and the competitors arrived at the Montlhery Autodrome in brilliant sunshine, with an hour or two to spare before the final race. This was over 10 laps of the long road circuit of 12.5 kilometres. By now Moss had got his car going something like normal but it was too late for him to have any chance of winning the Tour outright, so de Portago merely had to be sure of finishing in order to remain at the top of the General Category. After leaving Vichy he had had a sheet of Perspex screwed on to the Ferrari to replace the broken windscreen and so, barring accidents or breakdowns, he was all set to carry off the Tour de France. MORS ran away with the race, lapping in fine style and giving a nice demonstration of high-speed 300SL motoring, while de Portage motored swiftly but surely to final overall victory. Gilberte Thirion had the ladies' award assured, but had a worrying time when the Porsche went on to three cylinders, and she had to do most of the race at a crawl, endeavouring to keep going until Moss had completed the 12 Jape. The Giulietta battle was continuing as strongly as at the beginning of the 6,000 kilotnetres, and Schell and Frere were a few

feet apart until the American ran out of fuel and had to stop and pour some out of a can. Although this lost him the Montlhery race against the Belgian driver, he did not lose enough points to drop from his lead over the whole rally.

With de Portage the outright winner, the 37 contestants remaining from the original 10'3 drove the last. stretch into Paris to where the Tour de France finally wound up with the prize distribution. It had certainly proved to be one of the better motoring events and if not to the liking of the hardened rally driver it was joy for the racing drivers. As a vindication of die Gran Turismo type of car it was a complete success and, similarly, it was a wonderful trial of the combivat ion of stamina of man and machine, together with skill and suitability of the cars. As a pure motoring competition cal culated to bring out all the best qualities of the higher forms of motoring and competitions it was excellent, and it is to be hoped that next year there will be a strong contingent of British competitors, though what they will use as cars to beat Ferrari, 300SL, Carrera and Giulietta is hard to visualise just at the moment.— -->