1949 Ferrari 166 Inter Berlinetta

Between 1948 and 1951, Ferrari sold around 38 Inters, plus around 46 examples of the 166MM, in various body styles created by several coach builders. The Inter's were road-going vehicle while the MM versions were the racing variants.

The 166 Inter and 166MM on display at the Turin Show were dressed in coachwork by Touring of Milan. The Inter was a coupe and the first road going Ferrari to be produced in any real numbers. The design was courtesy of Carrozzeria Touring's styling chief, Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni. Touring used their patented Superleggera coach building system, and in comparison to their 166MM siblings, the Inter's were a more civilized package, intended for the road rather than racing. The wheelbase was larger, offering additional interior space for the two rear seats. Power was from a V-12 engine breathing through a single twin-choke Weber carburetor and offering 110 horsepower. Top speed was in the neighborhood of 178 km/h.

This vehicle, chassis number 015S was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March of 1949 and then sold to its first owner by Ferrari through Carlo Botticelli to Paolo Castelnuovo on July 1st of 1949. Two months later, the car was shown at the Concours d'Elegance at Villa d'Este in Lake Como, Italy. The car's next owner was Massimo Alesi, on October 1st of 1953. Several more owners would enjoy the vehicle over the years, even spending a period in South Africa in the 1960s and then finding its way to the United States. Peter Sutcliffe purchased the car in the early 1980s and retained it for about a decade. It later found its way into France and then finally back to Italy.

The car has been given a full restoration. In 2012, this car was offered for sale at the RM Auctions Monaco sale where it was estimated to sell for €395.000-€480.000. Bidding reached €350.000, but was not enough to satisfy the vehicle's reserve. It would leave the auction unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2012