1948 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta

Sold new to Giovanni Vaccari, this early 166 MM Touring Barchetta made its competition debut in the 1949 Mille Miglia, where it finished sixth in class. Later in the year, it won Best of Show at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. In 1951, it raced at the Mille Miglia again, but this time failed to finish. In the following years, it passed through a variety of French, Swiss and American hands. Chassis 0006M joined the current American collection in 2006 and has since been regularly shown at all the major events, winning Best of Show at the Cavallino Classic in 2007.

The first of Enzo Ferrari's dual-purpose sports and racing cars, the 166 MM was named 'Mille Miglia' in honor of the previous year's victory in the most prestigious event. The groundbreaking body design was nicknamed the Barchetta, or 'Little Boat,' by an Italian journalist when it was first shown at the 1948 Turin Motor Show. Typical of the time, Ferrari built only the chassis and running gear. The coachwork was designed and built by Carlo Felice 'Cici' Anderloni's Carrozzeria Touring.

Ferrari 166MM with chassis number 0006M is a right-hand drive vehicle with a Touring body in Barchetta Lusso configuration. This is the third Barchetta built and is powered by engine number 0004M. It is fed air through a flat air scoop located on the vehicle's long and graceful hood. The car's first owner was Giovanni Vaccari who took possession in 1948. Vaccari entered the car into the 1949 Mille Miglia where he was joined by co-driver Arnoldo Mori. The duo drove the car to Sixth in Class and Thirty-Fourth overall. It was shown at the Villa d'Este Concours in 1949 where it was awarded a very prestigious, First in Class.

In 1951 the car was sold to its second owner who raced it in the 1951 Mille Miglia but failed to finish the race. From then, the car passed through several owners until it came into the possession of Juerg Brigel during the mid-1980s. Brigel brought the car to events such as the 1989 166 MM Barchetta Reunion in Monterey, California. It was sold to its next owner during the mid-1990s. It was shown at the 1994 International Ferrari Concours in Monterey where it was awarded a Third in Class. It made a trip to the Cavallino Classic in 1995.

The car was purchased by Mr. Ross in 2006 who brought the car to the 2007 Cavallino Classic. Among very stiff competition and a show field full of history and prestigious racing victories, the 166 MM with chassis number 0006M was crowned 'Best of Show'.

The Ferrari 166 MM 'Barchetta' gave Ferrari the identifiable car it needed to establish itself on the world's automotive stage. Enzo Ferrari had been producing cars for little more than a year when his marketing instincts took over.

While every early Ferrari blurred the lines between street use and competition - most were, in fact, outright race cars - the 166 MM was the first Ferrari offered with equipment tailored to both needs. It also was the first Ferrari with styling that identified it as a Ferrari.

The Ferrari 166 MM's all-alloy V-12 displaced 1995cc, had a compression ratio of 10:1 and was crowned by three 32 DCF Weber carburetors. Ferrari claimed 140 horsepower at 6600 RPM, plenty for a machine with a factory-quoted weight of just 1,430 lbs.

Thirty-nine examples of this model were produced from its introduction at the Turin Motor Show in 1948 to its retirement in 1950. It was replaced by the 2.3 liter 195 S in 1950.

Ferrari built 25 of the 166MM Barchettas, or 'little boats,' with bodies by Touring. Racing versions of the model won the Mille Miglia, LeMans, and the Spa 24 hour race in 1949. This is the third of those 25 examples.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2008