After applying the hallowed GTO moniker to the higher-spec version of the 599 GTB, Ferrari chose to revive another storied name from its past for an even more potent version of the F12berlinetta: Tour de France, a nickname originally given to the 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione in the late 1950s after its stunning streak of wins at the Tour de France Automobile road race. Unveiled at the 2015 Finali Mondiali held at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, the F12tdf was the most powerful naturally-aspirated Ferrari ever built and only the company’s top clients were given a chance to buy one.

Designed as a road-legal, track-focused variant, the F12tdf featured many improvements over the already technologically advanced F12berlinetta. The 6.3-liter V-12 engine was retuned to produce a reported 769 horsepower, making it—with the exception of the LaFerrari hybrid hypercar—more powerful than any Ferrari that had come before.

The space-frame chassis, codeveloped with Scaglietti, was made up of 12 different aluminum alloys, reportedly making it 20 percent stiffer than the preceding 599 while also being 154 pounds lighter. This rigidity also allowed engineers to lower the F12’s center of gravity by about one inch for nearly perfect front-to-rear weight distribution. Extensive use of carbon fiber reportedly saved an additional 243 pounds.

Power was transferred to the rear wheels via a seven-speed, dual-clutch, paddle-shifted, automated manual transmission with shorter ratios and capable of quicker gear changes. To reign in the nearly 800 horses, carbon-ceramic disc brakes with one-piece calipers were borrowed from the LaFerrari. The F12tdf was also the first Ferrari to feature four-wheel steering as standard equipment.

Externally, the F12tdf was a more visually aggressive machine with wider side sills and an “aerobridge” directing airflow along the sides of the car. Thanks to a taller rear wing and active rear diffuser, the F12tdf boasts an 87-percent increase in downforce compared with the standard F12.

These modifications made for one of the quickest cars to ever wear the Cavallino Rampante badge. Sporting a stunning 0–60 time of just 2.9 seconds and a claimed tops speed of 211 mph, the F12tdf was only 1.3 seconds behind the LaFerrari around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track.

The original Tour de France Automobile race rewarded cars that combined maximum performance with drivability. The F12tdf is, appropriately, the ultimate expression of the concept: an extreme road car that is equally at home on the track.

With just 799 examples built from 2015 through 2017, any F12tdf is a rare machine. Chassis 224694, presented here, is even rarer, given its unique finishes of Rosso Scuderia over red and black leather. Whereas most Tour de France F12s were featured a spartan Alcantara interior, this example was ordered luxuriously trimmed in full red leather with red and black “Daytona” style seats. This striking combination was further augmented with extensive carbon fiber both inside and out. A copy of the window sticker shows the high-tech material was optioned on the engine covers, air-filter box covers, fog light and headlamp buckets, floor plates, rear shelf, and bench to name a few.

Other options included a full luggage set of hard and soft cases, AFS adaptive headlamps, Apple CarPlay compatibility, leather-trimmed transmission tunnel, colored seatbelts, and gold brake calipers. Stunningly appointed, these options added more than $170,000 to the cost of the car when new, for an eyewatering suggested retail price of $658,249.00.

Within the last two years, this F12tdf has had the oil and brake fluid changed and the air conditioning serviced by Ferrari of Rancho Mirage in California. In July of 2022, the same Ferrari dealer installed four Michelin Pilot Sport tires and a new battery. Invoices documenting the work are included in the sale.

The Ferrari F12tdf is without a doubt one of the greatest grand tourers ever made and a worthy successor to the brutish V-12 sports cars that established Ferrari’s legacy. The example offered here is certainly one of the best, with low mileage and impeccably optioned, this is a Ferrari to be cherished and a worthy centerpiece of any collection.