1950 Ferrari 166 MM LeMans Berlinetta Coupe

The Ferrari Tipo 166 replaced the 125 S in 1948 and came equipped with a two-liter Colombo-designed V-12 engine. The earliest 166 Sport and Spider Corsas were successful in their own right, but it was the 166 Mille Miglia (MM) that that dominated the sports car racing scene in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Accoldaes include winning the 24 Hours of LeMans, the Targa Florio, and the Mille Miglia.

Many of the 166 MM models received coachwork by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. The Superleggera construction complimented the sporting qualities of the 166 MM chassis.

In 1950 at Geneva, Ferrari introduced the aerodynamic 166 MM Le Mans Berlinetta fastback sculpted from lightweight aluminum. Designed for high-speed endurance racing, they featured a Spartan cockpit, leather tie-down straps, large external fuel fillers, and Plexiglas windows.

This particular example, chassis number 0060 M, is the fifth of six 166 MM chassis originally fitted with Touring's Berlinetta LeMans coachwork. It wore body number 3461 that was originally finished in a light blue livery. Design features included two horizontal air intakes on the hood, lovers in the rear quarter windows, faired-in fog lamps, and one-off gauge layout, with white-faced Jaeger instruments placed in the center of the dashboard.

This car was constructed during May and June of 1950. Its racing debut was under factory ownership at the IV Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti, held on July 16. Driven by Franco Cornacchia, it finished in 3rd Place. Less than a month later, the Ferrari was entered in the Giro della Calabria, where Dorino Serafini and Ettore Salani drove it to an outright victory.

Three-time LeMans winner and official North American importer, Luigi Chinetti, displayed 0060 M at the Paris Auto Show, held between October 5 and 12, 1950, in hopes of finding a buyer. By November, it had been sold to Briggs Cunningham. Cunningham planned on racing the Ferrari in the United States during the upcoming season. To ensure the car had the best possibility of success, Cunningham had Ferrari upgrade 0060 M to full 195 S specification.

The 195 S was a 166 MM with an increased 5 mm bore, bringing total displacement to 2.3 liters. With the help of three Weber carburetors and a cold-air box, the 195 S engine delivered approximately 170 horsepower at 7,000 rpm. This made it more powerful and produced greater torque at lower speeds than the standard 166 MM.

Chassis 0060 M, now in 166 MM/195 S specification, arrived in New York harbor in December 1950, making it the first closed Ferrari competition car delivered to the U.S. It was soon registered in Connecticut and driven to Florida, where it took part in the Sam Collier Memorial Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance Six Hours held on December 30, 1950. Cunningham entrusted driven duties to Luigi Chinetti, who finished 7th Overall and 1st in Class, with an average speed of 60.7 mph.

The car's next outing was in Buenos Aires, at a sports car race organized by Argentina's president, General Juan Perón. Jim Kimberly drove the Ferrari to a 7th Place finish. The car returned to the US and raced at Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen.

In 1952, the car was sold to Peter and Robert Yung of Long Island, New York, who entered the Ferrari in the 4th Annual Bridgehampton Cup in May 1952. In June, it was traded to Luigi Chinetti for a Vignale-bodied 225 S. Chinetti sold the 166 MM/195 S to Henry N. Manney III. Mr. Manney entered the Ferrari in the Oakland International Sports Car Show in California, receiving First Place in the class for 'cars over $6,000.'

Later in 1952, the car was traded to John Fox for a new Aston Martin DB2 and a Cooper- Norton in return. Mr. Fox then entered 0060 M in its last race, the San Diego Cup at Torrey Pines.

The car would pass through two owners in Southern California until 1962, when it came into the care of Lawrence A. Knaack of Long Grove, Illinois. In 1971, Mr. Knaack displayed the car at the FCA National Meeting in Chicago. John Hajduk of Chicago, Illinois acquired it in 1976 and sold it a year later to Donald Dethlefsen. The car was shown at the 1977 FCA National Meeting in Watkins Glen where it was awarded with Best of Show honors. It was then sold to Peter Agg of the U.K. who sold it in 1981 to Peter Briggs (acquired from Coys of Kensington). Mr. Briggs participated in many important international events with the car including the Mille Miglia Storica, Goodwood Festival of Speed, and Louis Vuitton Concours d'Elegance.

The Touring Berlinetta returned to the United States in 1998 and was soon acquired by Bruce Lustman of Colorado. Mr. Lustman commissioned Mike Dopudja of MPH in Englewood, Colorado, to perform a complete, show-quality restoration. The work took two years to complete and was rewarded at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August of 2001 with a Second in Class award.

In 2006 it entered the collection of William Jacobs of Illinois. Around 2008 it entered a private collection before being sold to the current caretaker.

The car is currently finished in its original Sebring livery. It retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox and rear end.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2018