Ferrari 166 MM: a rare car with a special history
In 1948, Ferrari achieved great success, winning the Targa Florio, the Mille Miglia and the 12 Hours of Paris, confirming the effectiveness of the new two-liter V12 engine developed by Gioacchino Colombo. This was made possible by the launch of the Ferrari 166 MM Touring model, presented at the Turin Motor Show in September 1948. This car, with its elegant pre-war design, marked the beginning of the success of the small block V12 Ferrari in prestigious competitions.
A total of 25 of these two-seaters were built, called Barchetta, which means "little boat" in Italian. The open body became very popular and its elements were used in the 195, 212 and 340 models. The first two Ferrari 166 MMs finished first and second in the 1949 Mille Miglia. In the same year the car also won at Le Mans, Spa, Senegal and Trieste.
The Ferrari 166 MM, launched in 1950 by the Touring workshop in the 166 MM Barchetta version, has firmly entered the history of automobile competition and is the epitome of the brand's success. Its influence on the automobile industry is undeniable.
The sports 166 MM became one of Ferrari's most successful projects. Subsequently, the cylinder block of this car would become the basis for other no less legendary machines - 195, 212, 225S, 250 GT TdF and Testa Rossa. Well, the Touring body will forever become a classic and the name 166 MM will be written in gold letters in the list of the most beautiful Ferrari cars.
This Ferrari 166 MM is a true gem for any Ferrari collector, combining authenticity, completeness, rarity and a rich racing history in Italy and the United States. Chassis number 0058 M, which is the 27th of 32 166 MMs built and the 23rd of 25 Barchetta from Touring, was delivered to the Touring body shop on June 1, 1950. There it received body number 3452, the interior was upholstered in beige leather and the exterior was painted Rossa Corsa.
On June 5, the car was delivered to its first owner, Mark Dallorso of Genoa. However, it didn't stay there for long, as it was given to the racing driver Eugenio Castellotti, who drove it in the Mille Miglia on April 28, 1951, where he finished sixth in his class. Dissatisfied with the results, Castellotti sent the car to the Ferrari factory to be modernized and fitted with new parts for the Ferrari 166. Upgrades included a new gearbox, Weber three-chamber carburetors, new intake manifolds, and an expanded instrument cluster. A new aerodynamic hood was also installed. After these changes, Castellotti regularly finished third in his class in other Italian races.
The 166 MM was wrecked in June 1953, but after restoration it was shipped to the United States, where a new phase of its existence began. Raymond Crayford of Berkeley, California, became the new owner and actively raced the car in local races in San Francisco, where he won high places, before selling it to Larry Taylor in 1966. The car spent 11 years in San Francisco, then passed to Ferrari collector Ed Gilbertson, who exhibited it at the 1979 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and won the Hans Tanner Award.
The 1952 season was not a good one for the car as it crashed out of the Monaco Grand Prix, but in September it finished second in class and seventh overall at the Gran Premio di Bari with Sergio Mantovani at the wheel. In April 1953, the 166 MM entered the Mille Miglia again, but failed to finish.
In the 1980s, the car participated in a number of vintage car competitions, and in 1993, it competed for the last time on the 0058 M chassis at the Colorado Grand. The following year, the Spyder was part of the V12 front-engine Ferrari display at Danville and participated in the traditional Pebble Beach competition, completing its grand tour at the brand's automotive competition in Carmel five years earlier.
In 1998, Lorenzo Lambrano, a well-known collector from Mexico, became the owner of the 166 MM. In the years that followed, he exhibited the car at prestigious automotive events such as Pebble Beach, where it won 2nd place in 1999, the Cavallino Classic, where it received a platinum award in 2000, and the FCA National Meet in Colorado Springs, where it also received a platinum award. In June 2007, the Lambrano received the Ferrari Classiche Red Book Certificate, which confirms the original condition of the car as a historic heritage of the company.
In January 2010, the car passed to new owners: first to Manny Del Arroz in Diablo, California, and then to an anonymous collector. Subsequently, 166 MM continued to participate in events such as the August Ferraris at Pebble Beach, as well as Pebble Beach in 2015 and Monterey in 2016.
Given its historical significance and status, as confirmed by Ferrari Classiche, the car is expected to generate strong interest at auction. Sotheby's expects this unique and beautiful 166 MM to sell for between $8 million and $10 million at the upcoming Amelia Island sale in March.