1953 Ferrari 166 MM Spyder

Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A. Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where it has enjoyed great success since the 1950's. Enzo Ferrari himself retained control of the racing division until his death in 1988 at the age of 90.

The Tipo 166 had an Aurelio Lampredi-designed tube frame and double wishbone/live axle suspension. Only eight had the special Vignale body in 1953. The Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine with single overhead camshafts produced 160 hp at 6,000 RPM with three Weber carburetors, which is excellent power for the 1,764 pound 166. Ferrari has often named cars by the displacement of each cylinder, thus at 166 cubic-centimeters per cylinder the displacement of the engine is 2.0 liters. Motor Trend Classic named the 166MM as number six in their list of the 'Ten greatest Ferraris of all time.' A 166 won the 24 Hours of LeMans in the hands of Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon, the Targa Florio with Clemente Biondetti and Igor Troubetzkoy, and the Spa 24 Hours in 1949. It is the only car in history to have won all three of those races. In total, Tipo 166 racers won 54 events plus 35 class wins and set three world records.

The 166MM's were a powerful, reliable and competitive automobile. Their historic accomplishments are legendary and their designs are elegant, beautiful and breathtaking. The 166 MM Series II was aimed at the popular under-2 Liter racing class. Its tubular chassis continued the earlier 166MM's 88.5-inch wheelbase, but the 1995cc V12 had a higher compression ratio and different carburetors to boost output to 160 horsepower.

As was customary at the time, a rolling chassis was supplied to custom coachbuilders to outfit the vehicles according to the customer specifications. The 166MM was named after its historic victories at Mille Miglia. In 1948 the Carrozzeria Vignale was founded at Via Cigliano, Turin. It became a well known Italian coach-building company. Vignale designed cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia and many others. Six Vignale 166MM's were produced.

This 1953 Ferrari 166MM with coachwork by Vignale won its class in the 1953 Mille Miglia, finishing fifteenth overall. In 1954 the vehicle was sold to MGM Studios in Hollywood, California where the bodywork in the front was altered and the vehicle made a starring role in the movie 'The Racers.' The car passed through several owners throughout the years, before coming into the care of Mr. Gent Jr. who purchased the car in October of 1980. In 1983, the car was brought back to its original specification and prepared for the show circuit. It was shown in 1984 at the Ferrari Concours and a few days later at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Its last major public outing was in 1987, before it was placed and storage while Mr. Gent focused on other priorities - his family. After raising a family and having just completed work on his new house, the car was shown at the 2007 Ault Park Concours d'Elegance in Cincinnati, Oh. It was a very welcomed sight and was awarded Best in Class, among other awards.