Special Motorsports Event - 1956 Ferrari 250 Best Of Show At Four Seasons

Beverly Hills, Sept. 6, 2011: The 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Zagato earned the title of Best of Show at ‘2011 uniques special ones’: the car belonging to the well-known Beverly Hills collector David Sydorick won the favour of both panels of judges charged with naming in unison the most beautiful vehicle, on both technical and stylistic levels, among those present at the event.

The Giardino of the Gherardesca is ‘disrobing’ itself of the 82 cars that adorned it on display, bringing a close to the 2011 uniques special ones, the exhibition event of international appeal that brought the elite of the world’s most exclusive collector circles to Florence for two days.

The international event, created and organized by MAC Group for the second consecutive year, starred vehicles unique in their kind, all gathered in the striking setting of the Giardino, Palazzo and Conventino of the Gherardesca, today a Four Seasons Hotel. With the cars came their collectors, important managers and businessmen, hailing from all over the world.

“It was wonderful to see the enthusiasts’ excitement in finding themselves at this event for the second time,” recounted Sandro Binelli, President of MAC Group. “The cars and their collectors succeed in creating a unique atmosphere that only so striking a setting can accommodate. These aren’t my words, but the words of the participants themselves, and I can’t help but feel proud of them.”

The preeminent panel of judges, composed of important figures from the fields of Design, Automobiles, Culture, and the Media, adopted rigorous judging criteria, which they applied in examining the competing cars over the two days of the event. The Best of Show was revealed during the uniques special ones closing cocktail party in the Conventino of the Gherardesca.

“Selecting the winning vehicle was an extremely difficult choice and caused the members of the judges panel to debate for over two hours,” stated Adolfo Orsi, Automotive expert and Chief Judge of the International Judges Panel. “The final showdown played out between the 1938 Bugatti Type 57 S Cabriolet and the 1962 Ferrari 268 SP, as both perfectly fulfilled the Competition’s criteria of uniqueness. Having to assign the Best of Show title to only one car, the vote fell to the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta built by Zagato.”

For each of the 9 established classes, two separate awards were given: the Best of Class for Originality and Restoration and the Best of Class for Styling, with an Overall Best of Class award uniting the two classifications.

This formula led to some classes having three different winners, while in others certain ‘uniques’ vehicles swept the board.

The Best of Show was then chosen from among the nine Overall Best of Class.

The Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta owned by David Sydorick is the first of five berlinettas bodied by Zagato on a long wheelbase chassis and one of only three with the trademark ‘double-bubble’ roof. Bought new in Italy, the car was entered into competition in the 1956 season, participating even in the Mille Miglia with Camillo Luglio at the wheel. Exported to the USA in 1960, it was bought by its current owner in 1999 who has participated in several concours d’élégance over the years, including Pebble Beach, Villa d’Este, and the Ferrari 60 on the Fiorano Circuit in 2007.