On The Grid at Bernina Gran Turismo 2025

The heart of Bernina Gran Turismo beats strongest on the grid, where each car waiting to climb the mountain pass carries with it a story of triumph and legacy, event organizers stated in a press release. This year’s lineup brings together pre-war Grand Prix icons, endurance legends and one-of-a-kind hypercars. Each vehicle is a chapter of motorsport history brought roaring back to life on the roads of the Engadin. Here’s a look at a few of the cars racing at the Bernina Gran Turismo from Sept. 18-21.

Bugatti Bolide

The Bolide is a track-only race machine with 1,650 horsepower. Lightweight, extreme and built exclusively for the track, the Bolide pushes the limits of performance with its quad-turbo W16 engine and aerodynamic proportions unlike any Bugatti before it.

The Bugatti Bolide will be piloted by Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac, Le Mans winner and Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace, and Pearl Collection owner Fritz Burkard. This will be the first time this track-only car has been driven on an open road.

Bugatti Type 59 Sports (1934)

Built as an exclusive Grand Prix car with only six ever made, this chassis was the first produced and is considered the most desirable of all, due to its remarkable racing history and its extraordinary condition. Raced by legends such as René Dreyfus, Robert Benoist and Jean-Pierre Wimille, it later became the prized possession of King Leopold III of Belgium.

Still carrying its racing scars, the car has never been over-restored, and it won the “Best of Show” at Pebble Beach last year as the first-ever preservation-class winner. Today, under the care of one of Switzerland’s most prolific car collectors, Fritz Burkard, it has been restored to its 1937 configuration, complete with the lowered body, longer wheelbase and supercharged straight-eight.

The Type 59 is not only the last Grand Prix car Bugatti ever built but also widely considered the most elegant of all pre-war racing machines. Bernina Gran Turismo 2025 will see it return to the road, presented and raced by the Pearl Collection.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé & Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Racing Version

Mercedes-Benz unveiled the 300 SL (W 198) in New York in February 1954. Based on the successful 300 SL racing car (W 194), which had secured victories in the 1952 season, the road-going “Gullwing” introduced pioneering fuel injection technology that boosted power output by 20 percent. With 215 horsepower from its straight-six engine and a top speed of up to 155 mph, it was the fastest production car of its era.

At the 1955 Mille Miglia, John Cooper Fitch and Kurt Gessl piloted a 300 SL to fifth overall and a decisive win in the production sports car category. The example presented at Bernina Gran Turismo pays tribute to that legendary car, carrying the same number 417. In 1999, the 300 SL was voted “Sports Car of the Century” by an international jury of automotive journalists.

Alongside the Gullwing, Mercedes-Benz also introduced the prototype of the 190 SL Roadster (W 121) in 1954. Conceived as a stylish and versatile touring car, it mirrored the design of its more powerful sibling while establishing the SL tradition of open-top motoring. Powered by a newly developed 1.9-liter four-cylinder with 105 horsepower, the lightweight roadster combined engineering innovation with broad appeal, particularly in the United States, where nearly 18,000 of the 25,881 units built were delivered. In its racing version, stripped down and fitted with a small windscreen, the 190 SL competed successfully in Macau and Casablanca in 1956. It was later disadvantaged by FIA regulations.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB SEFAC Competition (1961)

The 250 GT SWB SEFAC Competition represents the ultimate evolution of the short-wheelbase 250. One of just 25 built, this car placed third at the 1961 Tour de France with Maurice Trintignant and Paul Cabrios, and finished a strong 12th overall at the 1,000 km of Montlhéry in the hands of Graham Hill and Jo Bonnier.

The car was originally delivered to Count Giovanni Volpi’s celebrated Scuderia Serenissima. Its presence on the grid at Bernina Gran Turismo 2025 offers spectators a rare chance to see one of Maranello’s most significant creations, still carrying the spirit of endurance racing glory.

Alfa Delta & the Alfa Romeo GTAm

The Varese-based Alfa Delta team makes its return to the Bernina Gran Turismo grid in 2025. The squad will field three Alfa Romeo GTAm 2.0s and a GTA 1.6, each finished in special liveries inspired by the great touring car races of the 1970s.

Alfa Delta’s technicians have fine-tuned each car specifically for the challenges of the Engadin climb. With softened shock absorber calibration, shortened gear ratios and a tailored suspension setup designed to maximize grip and traction on the twisting course, the GTAms are primed to deliver both performance and spectacle.

Lancia Rally 037 Groupe B (Châssis TOW67787)

One of the last competition chassis produced by Abarth, this Lancia Rally 037 Group B car was built in the rare “Terra Pesante” Safari configuration. Equipped with the powerful Evo2 mechanics and engine, it was prepared with distinctive rally accessories, including a roof-mounted spare wheel and additional windshield pillar lights for the extreme conditions of African rallying.

This particular car competed in two World Rally Championship events in 1984:

• Safari Rally (Kenya) with Markku Alén and Ilkka Kivimäki, finishing 7th overall
• Acropolis Rally (Greece) with Carlo Capone and Paolo Spollon, retiring due to a differential issue.

Wearing the legendary Martini Racing livery, this car represents the Group B era—a machine built for endurance, speed and the rugged beauty of rallying’s golden age.

RM Sotheby’s Highlights

RM Sotheby’s will present a selection of supercars, hypercars and track cars from the Tailored for Speed Collection at Bernina Gran Turismo. Counted among the rarest and most desirable cars of their type, these cars, which include many significant Ferraris, will be offered at the RM Sotheby’s Zurich sale on October 11, 2025, alongside several important Mercedes models.

2024 Ferrari Daytona SP3

This third model in Ferrari’s exclusive Icona series is one of only 600 built. Finished in a bespoke Rosso shade over Blu Elettrico Alcantara, this tailor-made example is powered by a naturally aspirated V-12 producing 829 horsepower. Delivered new to Switzerland, it comes from single ownership and shows just under 1,900 miles.

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti

A late-production Swiss-delivered car in Rosso Chiaro over Nero, Ferrari Classiche certified and fully restored in 2014. One of only around 60 Daytonas originally sold in Switzerland, with documented history and original manuals.

Mercedes-AMG GT2 PRO (2024)

AMG’s most extreme customer track car ever, featuring the Push2Pass function for up to 750 horsepower. Presented in Special PRO Matte Grey with Petronas Green accents, this one-owner Swiss car embodies Mercedes’ Formula 1-inspired engineering.

2017 Ferrari F12berlinetta 70th Anniversary

This car is one of just five Ferraris in the “Quintessential Gentleman Driver” livery. Delivered new to Switzerland, this single-owner car shows under 1,900 miles and comes with books, manuals and Ferrari Classiche documentation.

From pre-war masterpieces to endurance greats, each car on the Bernina Gran Turismo 2025 grid adds its own voice to the story of the legendary mountain pass, noted the release.