1950 Ferrari 166 Inter

The Ferrari 166 Inter was produced from 1948 to 1950 with 38 examples built. They were the company's first true grand tourer and an evolution of the 125 S and 166 S racing cars. They were also the first Ferraris to be purchased for the road rather than the race track, albeit, some were indeed used in competition. The '166' portion of the name was in reference to the unitary displacement of the engine while the 'Inter' commemorated the victories at the Targa Florio achieved by the 166 S models of Scuderia Inter. The dangerous Sicilian race was won in 1948 by Troubetzkoy/Biondetti and again in 1949 by Biondetti/Benedetti. The 'Inter' name was also used by Ferrari years later on some of their racing cars.

The 166 Inter shared its chassis with the 125 S and 166 S - an Aurelio Lampredi-designed tube frame suspended by an independent setup in the front with A-arms, transverse leaf springs, and lever shock absorbers. The rear used a live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and lever shock absorbers. The 1995.02cc, SOHC, Colombo-designed V12 engine with output ranging from 100 to 140 bhp with single to triple carburetors. It was backed by a five-speed manual transmission and braking was controlled by four-wheel hydraulic drums. Most examples wore coupe or Barchetta style coachwork created by Touring. Carrozzeria Ghia produced one-off coupé designed by Felice Mario Boano, and Bertone bodied one cabriolet. Vignale created seven bodies. Other examples were built by Stabilimenti Farina in either coupe or cabriolet configuration.

Derived from the company's competition models, the 166 Inter was essentially a thinly disguised racing car in GT form.

by Dan Vaughan

Berlinetta by Touring
Chassis number: 0047S

Enzo Ferrari originally sold cars only when he needed to pay his racing expenses or factory wages. This no doubt accounts for so few cars built during the formative years of the marque. That would change in November 1948 at the Turin show when he unveiled the first show Ferrari ever exhibited. On the stand were a 166MM and a 166 Inter, a pair of racing and road variations, respectively. From 1948 through 1951, Ferrari sold 38 Inters and 46 examples of the 166MM in various body styles created by various coachbuilders. This not only put money into Ferrari's racing coffers, but also demonstrated his ability to juggle both racing and selling.

Touring built less than 20 Ferrari 166 Inter Berlinettas in 1950 and this example is possibly one of two that were shown at the Turin Motor Show that year. It is also thought to be the first Touring bodied car to be fitted with an Aerlux sunshine roof. Its first owner was an engineer called Luigi Pomini from Varese and during his ownership the car was returned to Ferrari to be fitted with the triple Weber carburetors that it still has today. Its second owner took the Ferrari with him to live in Morocco but sadly the climate or the roads did not agree with the car and it was abandoned when he returned to Italy. It was later acquired by a U.S. Air Force officer and shipped to Omaha, Nebraska in the late 1950s and has been in America ever since.

Coupe
Chassis number: 071S

Ferrari 166 Inter Coupe with chassis number 0071 S is a right hand drive vehicle that was built by Vignale. Though it was a 166 Inter Coupe, it has been updated to 195 specifications. It is a very early example of the Enzo Ferrari built automobiles and was built in 1950. Its first owner took possession of the vehicle in April of 1950. The car has been in the ownership of several individuals since then; in the 1980's it became the property of the US based individual. Under the ownership of Ed Weschler in 1987, it was entered in the Chicago Historic Races. Weschler owned the vehicle until the 1990's when it was sold to Stephen Dudley. Under his care, the car has been shown at the 2004 Meadow Brook Concours and at the Cavallino Classic. It has even been raced in historic competition events such as the Cavallino Classic at Moroso Motorsport Track.

by Dan Vaughan

Barchetta by Touring
Chassis number: 0049/S
Engine number: 0049/S

In 1949, Ferrari introduced their 166 Inter Barchetta at the Paris Motor Show. It housed a 2.0-liter V12 engine that was also found in the 166S and 166MM and was available in various states of tune with one to three carburetors. Total production over a two-year period was just 37 units. They were bodied by Bertone, Ghia, Pinin Farina, Touring, Vignale, and Stabilimenti Farina.

This example, chassis number 0049/S, began life in 1950 as a Berlinetta by Carrozzeria Ghia. It is believed to have been delivered to Inico Bernabei in Rome, Italy and sold later that same year to an owner in Naples. At some point in its early history, perhaps before it was sold, a second chassis number was stamped in the frame. However, this car is known as 0049/S. It is an odd chassis number which was typically assigned to street cars, not competition cars. Many Ferrari street cars, however, were used for racing.

The car was later exported to the United States, and used for many years as a competition car. By the mid-1970s, it had passed through several American owners and had come into the care of Ron Walden in Southern California. During this time, the 0049/S engine had been removed and fitted into another car. A fire broke out in the garage where 0049/S was being stored and damaged much of the trim, glass and interior of the coupe body. The car had been partly dismantled prior to the fire and parts were stored in different sections throughout the garage. The body and some of the trim survived.

In the mid-1980s, a new owner purchased 0049/S along with another car, which had the original engine of 0049/S. The chassis was then converted to the style of Carrozzeria Touring Barchetta. The frame was modified and a new subframe and body panels was formed. The work was completed by 2000.

A correct-type five-speed gearbox and differential was mounted to the rebuilt engine.

In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction in Pebble Beach where it was estimated to sell for $750,000 - $1,000,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $753,500 including buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Berlinetta by Touring
Chassis number: 0043S

Ferrari displayed two cars at the 1948 Turing Motor Show. One car was the 166 Mille Miglia Barchetta and the other was the 166 Inter Coupe, so named to commemorate the racing victories by Scuderia Inter. The 166 Inter was produced between 1948 and 1953, with just 37 examples produced. (Odd-numbered chassis numbers between 007S through 0079 S). Coachwork for the 166 Inter was done by Carrozzeria Touring, Bertone, Ghia, Stabilimenti Farina and Vignale.

The 166 Inter was powered by an all-alloy V-12 engine that displaced 1995cc and produced 110 horsepower. The '166' in the model designation referred to the swept volume of a single cylinder in cubic centimeters. The Combo-designed engines had twin camshaft nose-driven Marelli distributors and were fitted with a single twin-choke carburetor as standard equipment. A triple carburetor setup was also available. The 166 Inter had independent front suspension via a transverse leaf spring, wishbones and Houdaille lever-type hydraulic shock absorbers. In the back, there were semi-elliptic leaf springs and similar Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers. Hydraulic drum-type brakes were fitted at all four corners.

This example, chassis number 043S wears coachwork by Milan's Carrozzeria Touring. From May 4th through May 14th of 1950, the car was on display at the XXXII Turin Motor Show. In July it was delivered to its first owner, A.I.C.A.R. S.r.l. of Milan, Italy, whose acronym translates to the International Agency for Automobile and Spare Parts Trading. It was then re-sold by A.I.C.A.R. to the first private owner, Mr. Moretti of Milan, Italy.

The car was later exported from Italy to the United States. In the 1980s, the car was owned by Ron Pinto of Rancho Palos Verdes, California. It was purchased by Lyle Tanner in 1986. The following year, it was purchased by Henk P. C. Van de Meene of The Netherlands. At that time, it was reported to have been finished in red with a brown wool cloth and tan leather interior. In 2008, the car was in the care of Danny Donovan. The current owner acquired the car in 2009 in fully restored condition, featuring a dark blue exterior and brown leather/tan cloth upholstery.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at RM Auction's Arizona sale where it was estimated to sell for $400,000 - $600,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $412,500, inclusive of buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Clemente Biondetti and Count Igor Troubetzkoy won the Targa Florio on April 3rd of 1948, marking Ferrari's first major international win. The car was a closed Berlinetta Ferrari 166 and would later capture a victory at Italy's most important race, the Mille Miglia in 1948.

The Ferrari 166 was officially introduced at the Turin Salon in September of 1948. The body was courtesy of Touring utilizing the patented 'superleggera' technique. The alloy coachwork was well proportioned, covering the narrow tube skeleton structure. The frame consisted of an oval tube cross-section ladder with an X-shaped cross member. The short wheelbase car was given a Giacchino Colombo-designed V12, which would become the basic structure that would serve Ferrari road and race car for the next two decades.

In total, there were a mere 33 examples of the 166 MM produced between 1949 and 1951. Most of the 166 models were given Carrozzeria Touring coachwork in either Barchetta or Berlinetta forms. 26 were Barchettas and 7 were Berlinetta models. Of the seven Touring-bodied Berlinettas, only five were the Le Mans Berlinettas, named for Ferrari's victory at the 1949 24 Hours of Lemans in a 166MM.

by Dan Vaughan

It was in 1948 when the newly formed Italian automobile company named Ferrari began selling a promising sports car named the 166. The two-seater sports car featured a 12-cylinder engine mounted in the front and supplying over 100 horsepower to the rear wheels. The engine was just under two-liters in size and had a unitary displacement of 166 cc, thus, the evolution of the model name. Production would last until 1953 with only 38 examples being produced. Even though production was low, its accomplishments are large, with wins at LeMans, Mille Miglia, and the Targa Florio.

The 166 was a continuation of the 125, introduced a year earlier. The 125's size of 1497 cc was later enlarged to 1902cc, bringing about the Tipo 159. In 1948, it was enlarged to 1995 cc and became the 166.

As was customary at the time, a rolling chassis was supplied to custom coachbuilders to outfit the vehicles according to customer specifications and their intended purposes. The 166 MM was named after its historic victories at the Mille Miglia. The 166 MM versions were given even chassis numbers and built with racing intentions. The 166 Inter, named after victories at the Coppa Intereuropa at Monza, were given odd chassis numbers and became Ferrari's first road car.

The 166 Inter road cars featured a 2 liter, 12-cylinder Colombo engine producing about 115 horsepower. The engines were mounted longitudinally and given one Weber 32 DCF Carburetor. A five-speed manual gearbox provided power to the rear wheels while drum brakes provided the stopping power. Top speed was achieved at just over 105 mph. Zero-to-sixty took about ten seconds. The tubular frame was given a live-rear axle and a front wishbone suspension. When production began, Carrozzeria Touring was the primary coachbuilder, outfitting the cars in both Berlinetta and Coupe bodies. Later, other coachbuilders such as Pinin Farina, Ghia, Vignale, and others, produced bodies for the 166 Inter.

The phenomenal accomplishments achieved on the race track did much to stir enthusiasm for the cars. To generate even more publicity, in November of 1948, Ferrari displayed examples of his 166 MM and 166 Inter Coupe at the Turin Motor Show. Other shows included the Paris salon in October of 1950 and the Geneva Salons in March of 1951.

With just 38 examples created, the 166 Inter was replaced in 1950 by the 195 Inter. The 195 Inter came into existence by the enlargement of the engine to 2.3 liters. A year later the engine was enlarged to 212 cc and the name changed to 212 Inter. In 1952, after 142 examples were created, production ceased.

166 MM

The 166 MM was a competition version of the 166 Inter. It featured the same 12-cylinder engine but modified to produce 135 horsepower. The suspension and chassis were similar to the 166 Inter. The bodies were lightweight, small, and built to endure the grueling requirements that racing requires. Initially, Ferrari intended the 166 MM to be a customer racing car. After a number of 166 MM models captured a large number of class and overall victories against stiff competition such as Maserati, Cistiralia, and Alfa Romeo, Ferrari commissioned the creation of the 166 MM as factory works cars.

Touring of Italy was commissioned to provide the coachwork for most of the 166 MM, and many were given Barchetta bodies. The name 'Barchetta' came about because of the size and design of the car. Barchetta in Italian means little boat.

Clemente Biondetti and Giuseppe Navone drove a 166 MM to overall victory at the Mille Miglia in 1948. A year later, Biondetti and Ettore Salani captured the victory at Mille Miglia in a 166 MM. Giannino Marzotto and Marco Crosara capture victory at Mille Miglia in 1950, driving a 166 chassis with a bigger 195 engine. In 1949 a Ferrari 166 MM, entered by Lord Selsdon and mostly driven by Luigi Chinetti, captured overall victory at Le Mans.

The 166 MM's were a powerful, reliable and competitive automobile. Their historic accomplishments are legendary and their designs are elegant, beautiful and breathtaking. VIN #002C, a 166 Spyder Corsa, is the oldest Ferrari car still in existence.

by Dan Vaughan