1949 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta

In March 1948, Enzo Ferrari ordered a new body from Carrozzeria Touring for his new open sports car the 166 MM. Touring's stylist Federico Formenti and Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni presented a scale model adapted from an earlier design for BMW which was then approved by Ferrari for his new car. Famously, when the car was presented to the press, Journalist Giovanni Canestrini nicknamed the car Barchetta which translates as small boat.

The fourth Barchetta (serial 0008M, engine 0006M) is the most celebrated. It was displayed at the 1948 Turin Auto Show and featured the first example of Barchetta by Touring. It is said that Ferrari and Barchetta were created at the same time. The car is powered by engine number 0006M (1949) a V12, 2.0-liter (1995 cc) with 32 DCF Weber carburetors developing 140 horsepower, riding on a 86.61-inch wheelbase and has a top speed of 137.5 mph. It sold for $15,500 new.

It was completed in April 1949 and won the first race the Barchettas participated in, the 1949 Mille Miglia, driven by Clemente Biondetti and Ettore Salani. That June Luigi Chinetti and Lord Peter Selsdon won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with this car. These two wins made Ferrari a household name worldwide. Chinetti raced the car once more at St. Gaudens in France, and then it was sold in April 1950 to a new owner in Switzerland, who raced it at least five times. This Barchetta has the 'corsa' interior, which means the dash and top of the cockpit have no leather covering and it has no carpets.