Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton, 11th Marquess of Portago, GE, was born into privilege. His Spanish title was bequeathed by his father, while his Irish mother, Olga Beatrice Leighton, had considerable wealth of her own. The handsome, charismatic, multilingual Alfonso was named after his godfather, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, and his spirit of adventure in the extreme began at a young age. Sensing his talent, Luigi Chinetti asked the 25-year-old Alfonso to join him on the challenging Carrera Panamericana in 1953, and thereafter, motor sports became the young nobleman’s primary focus.

Alfonso de Portago’s brief but legendary career came to a tragic end at the 1957 Mille Miglia, driving for Ferrari. For this important event, he was given Scuderia Ferrari’s new 335 Sport – a potent four-cam V-12 that was, far and away, the fastest car in the race. Handicapped by lack of experience driving in the arduous Italian road race, Portago drove harder than most, attempting to win by sheer determination. In the words of T.C. Browne, “The inevitable happened when Alfonso de Portago stopped alongside the course, ran to the fence, kissed Linda Christian, ran back to his Ferrari and drove on to his destiny, killing himself, his co-driver, 10 spectators, and the Mille Miglia.” But two years prior, in 1955, Portago became the owner of the remarkable Ferrari offered here, chassis 0415 GT.

Among the first 10 examples of Ferrari’s legendary 250 GT Berlinetta, 0415 GT is the forerunner of a long line of successful three-liter competition cars. Mechanically, 0415 GT is based on the Type 508 chassis that had been introduced in 1954. The engine, a type 112 unit, is most similar to the V-12 used in the 250 MM, with many of the same internal components and the distinctive, front-mounted distributors. Perhaps the only significant difference between the two is the use of Weber twin-choke carburetors for the 250 GT in lieu of the massive, four-barrel carburetors used on the 250 MM.

With this thoroughbred sporting chassis as a foundation, 0415 GT was entrusted to Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in Torino for coachwork. The end result is a truly elegant and quintessentially Italian sports car: simple, purposeful, and ideally proportioned.

Constructed from lightweight aluminum, this 250 GT Berlinetta was designed purely for competition. Unlike other contemporary Pinin Farina berlinettas, 0415 GT was never equipped with bumpers or decorative trim. The pinned bonnet features a central-air intake, three louvers toward the rear, competition quick-release latches, and leather straps. The rear section features a central outside filler, round 250 MM-style taillights, and a three-piece wraparound window. The interior is businesslike with supportive bucket seats, sliding Plexiglas side windows, a painted dashboard, and exposed aluminum interior panels.

Finished in white with black leather upholstery, 0415 GT was delivered to Alfonso de Portago in November 1955, in time for the 2nd Annual Bahamas Speed Week’s Nassau Trophy Road Races. On December 9, 1955, Alfonso de Portago debuted his new 250 GT in the five-lap race for production cars over two liters. Wearing race no. 23, he placed 4th Overall behind three Jaguar D-Types. For the 30-lap Governor’s Trophy later that day, Portago entrusted the Ferrari to his friend, famed Russian sculptor and photographer, Gleb Derujinsky, but partway through the race, he lost control of the 250 GT and rolled the car into a ditch.

Thankfully, no serious damage was done to either car or driver, and 0415 GT was repaired in time to take part in the 60-lap Nassau Trophy two days later. In the main event, Derujinsky drove the 250 GT Berlinetta to an impressive result, finishing 17th Overall and 7th in Class. In 1956, Portago’s Pinin Farina-bodied Ferrari remained in the US and was sold to experienced racer Chuck Hassan of Cincinnati, Ohio. Hassan retained the 250 Ferrari for road use as his racing career ended in fall 1957. There is no record of him having ever raced 0415 GT.

In 1960, the Ferrari was sold to Dick Beach of California, and three years later, it returned to the East Coast after it was sold to David Fenton of Newport, Rhode Island. During his decade-long ownership, Mr. Fenton’s prized Ferrari was stolen. When 0415 GT was recovered, its engine was missing, and he installed an American V-8 engine in it – a popular conversion at the time. The 250 GT Berlinetta remained in Mr. Fenton’s care until 1974, when it was sold to Mike Curley of Irwin, Pennsylvania. In 1978, Dutch broker Rudy Pas sold 0415 GT to noted collector David Cohen of West Vancouver. In his ownership, Mr. Cohen restored the Ferrari – a process that included fitting a correct type 112 engine (0445 GT, internal no. 383 the engine that remains in the car today) and refinishing the coachwork in red.

In 1980, Mr. Cohen sold the freshly restored 250 GT to Ferrari collector Hartmut Ibing of Düsseldorf, Germany, and four years later, fellow Düsseldorf resident Hein Gericke acquired the 250 GT Berlinetta. Between 1984 and 1988, 0415 GT was driven on the Mille Miglia Retrospective and raced at the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix at Nürburgring.

In 1993, chassis 0415 GT was acquired by noted sports car collector and enthusiast Dieter Roschmann of Germany. During his 20 years of ownership, the 250 GT Berlinetta was entered in at least one major historic event each year, always proving to be a fun, reliable, and rewarding entry.

Notably, the Ferrari went on to participate in the Mille Miglia retrospective 13 times. It completed the grueling Tour Auto twice (1993 and 2007) and it ran Austria’s Ennstal Classic five times between 1999 and 2010.

In July 2007, Mr. Roschmann commissioned the Ferrari Classiche Department to perform an extensive restoration of 0415 GT. Upon its disassembly, and consultation with the historical documents kept in the Ferrari Classiche archives, small areas of the frame were corrected, and Carrozzeria Auto Sport near Modena returned the nose section to its profile as built, according to factory drawings, while retaining as much of the original aluminum sheet metal as possible. With the coachwork stripped, primed, and prepared for paint, 0415 GT was refinished in white and the seats were re-trimmed in charcoal leather.

When the restoration was completed in May 2008, the Ferrari Classiche Department issued 0415 GT a certificate of authenticity and Red Book.

Incredibly, in September 2008, the unrestored, matching-numbers engine block (no. 0415 GT, internal no. 361) was discovered in the US and acquired from Ferrari specialist Tom Shaughnessy of Oceanside, California. It remains with chassis 0415 GT today, and accompanies the car at auction.

In 2013, 0415 GT was acquired by a passionate, US-based, vintage-competition Ferrari collector and has been tended to by his staff of professional caretakers. One of the few berlinettas in his stable, it has been a particular standout, both in terms of its purposeful design, and its significant history. Recently, the Ferrari was entrusted to the renowned Motion Products Inc. in Neenah, Wisconsin, for a refinish in a color more accurate to its original Bianco Avus and is now stunningly presented throughout.

This early production 250 GT Berlinetta has a visual appeal and credentials that would be difficult to improve upon. Given its desirable specification, period racing record, and important connection to the legendary Alfonso de Portago, this 250 Ferrari possesses qualities sought after by the most astute collectors. Extremely authentic, thoroughly documented, and proven as perhaps the ideal rally car, 0415 GT is for the enthusiastic driver and is a perfect candidate for an incredible variety of automotive events. For anyone seeking a purpose-built Ferrari to drive or exhibit, with an undeniably significant pedigree, 0415 GT is indeed in rarified company.

*Please note that this vehicle has a combined acceptance to two Mille Miglia events -- the Warm Up USA Event in October 2024 and the Mille Miglia 2025 -- subject to registration and payment of entry fee.