1950 Ferrari 166MM Berlinetta

Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, during the early days, was headed by Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni. Their lightweight Superleggera construction was well suited to the sporting qualities of the 166 MM chassis.

This particular example was completed in April of 1950, making it the 18th of 25 Barchettas built by Carrozeria Touring. It wears body number 3447 which was purpose-built for competition use and finished in Italian racing red with the more Spartan interior, rather than the more luxurious Lusso treatment.

The Barchetta made its racing debut at the Mille Miglia, held on April 23, 1950. For this race, Scuderia Ferrari loaned 0046 M to Giuseppe 'Nuccio' Bertone and his co-driver, Luigi Casalegno, who finished in 15th overall and 3rd in class. Three months later, Bertone drove the Ferrari at the Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti. After the race, the car returned to the Ferrari factory, where it was given an upgraded three-carburetor arrangement and a revised rear-axle ratio. Changes were also made to the body at this time, with the hood receiving two horizontal slots and fog lights were faired in on either side of the grille.

In April 1951, Nuccio Bertone brought the updated Barchetta to the Mille Miglia. Unfortunately, Bertone and his co-driver failed to finish the race, and the Barchetta once again returned to Ferrari for even more updates. The engine was updated prior to the 1952 racing season with type 225/16658 cylinder heads.

The car was sold in June of 1952 to Nuccio Bertone, who in turn sold it to another Torino resident named Emilio Giletti. During the 1952 season, Giletti was rewarded with incredible success, capturing many podium finishes, several class wins, and even an outright victory at Il Trofeo Sardo. Giletti often shared his Barchetta with co-driver Walter Loro-Piana. At the end of the season, Giletti became the Italian Sports Car Champion in the two-liter class and was even featured in Ferrari's annual yearbook.

Giletti sold 0046 M in January of 1953 to Luigi Bosisio, who had signed up with Scuderia Sant'Ambroeus, a new racing team founded in Milan. One of the team's founding members was Elio Zagato, who advised Bosisio that his father could transform the car into a Berlinetta. Bosisio brought the car to Carrozzeria Zagato, who updated the Barchetta's nose with by eliminating the 'omega' form. A lightweight aluminum roof section was fabricated in the aerodynamically effective teardrop shape. The side windows were constructed in Zagato's 'panoramico' style, while the rear window incorporated a large external fuel filler. Even with Zagato's Berlinetta conversion, much of the original coachwork was left intact, preserving the line and character of the original Touring Barchetta.

In the car's new guise, Bosisio raced 0046 M throughout 1953, with a debut in April at the Mille Miglia.

The car was sold to Bruno Martignoni of Varese in December 1953. Martignoni raced the car just once, at the Casablanca 12 Hours in Morocco, before selling it in September of 1955 to Luigi Chinetti Motors, Ferrari's North American distributor. Mr. John Sharpe of Buffalo, New York, became the cars next owner, purchasing it in early 1956. He had it repainted in metallic blue, and campaigned it in its final races at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix in New York and the Indian Summer Trophy at Harewood Acres in Canada.

The car's next owner was Charles and Audrey Saffell of Huntsville, Alabama, who acquired it in 1957 from a used-car lot in Detroit. The couple drove the 166 MM to Sebring for the 12 Hour race and repainted the car red to match their other Ferrari, a 250 MM Vignale Spider.

It was sold a few years later to Maurice Blevins, who damaged the engine and replaced it with a Chevrolet small-block V-8. In 1966, the Ferrari and its original engine were sold to Darrell Westfaul. After using it for a few years as his daily transportation, the car was retired to storage, where it remained for decades. IN 2007, Mr. Westfaul sold the Ferrari to its current owner. In his ownership, the car has continued to be preserved in its unrestored condition. Beginning around 2014, the engine was rebuilt and installed, with a correct gearbox (no. 7). The car has its original differential (no. 0018), along with many other original components.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2016