Of the nine 1957 250 Gran Turismo Berlinetta model Ferraris crafted between November 1956 and July 1957, with their distinctive 14 louvers gracing the rear sail panels, eight survive to this day. There were four different types of Ferrari 250 GT LWBs, the cars with no louvers, the 14-louver cars, the ones with three louvers and the most advanced ones with a single louver. Never in the history of racing cars has a louver been more important.

This 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France is the prototype 14-louver model of the nine examples built. The 1957 Ferrari 250 GT was built to excel in the new safer Gran Turismo racing classification born in response to the tragic 1955 accident at the 24 Hours of LeMans - and excel the Berlinetta did. With first overall finishes at the demanding Tour de France races of 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959, the 250 GT Berlinetta would unofficially become known at Ferrari as the 'Tour de France' or 'TdF' model.