1950 Ferrari 166

In November 1946, Enzo Ferrari announced to the world that his fledgling company would be going into the production of sports and racing cars and he quickly surrounded himself with some of the greatest designers and technical minds of the day. He instructed Gioacchino Colombo to design a new car and the whole project centred around a 12-cylinder engine that would go on to shape the Ferrari legend for years to come.

This led to the development of the Ferrari 166 in 1948 which was a great improvement on its predecessor, the 125, both in terms of performance and capability. Through 1948, the 166 was further enhanced and in September of that year the 166 'Mille Miglia' was introduced. The 166 MM enjoyed a great deal of competition success and the biggest win came at the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Luigi Chinetti delivered a commanding performance to secure a resounding victory.

In celebration of this victory, Ferrari introduced a Berlinetta version of the 166 MM for 1950, bodied by Carrozzeria Touring. This elegant coupé was given the moniker 'Le Mans' and only five examples were built, making it one of the rarest and most desirable early Ferrari models. The Le Mans Berlinetta proved to be remarkably versatile, excelling in a variety of motorsport disciplines, from road races and track events to hillclimbs.

The 166 MM Le Mans Berlinetta represents the ultimate evolution of the model that first catapulted Ferrari into the spotlight and laid the foundation for decades of success.

Chassis 0066 M is one of the five 166 MM Le Mans Berlinettas and it was built with a number of unique features such as no air intake on the bonnet, three louvres in the rear side windows and small indicator lights below the headlights. The car was completed on the 28th June 1950 and enjoyed early competition history in a number of hillclimbs with its first owners.

It is a matching numbers example including its chassis, body, engine and gearbox, as confirmed by its Ferrari 'Red Book' Classiche certification. In addition, it boasts something that many other important cars cannot; a well-documented ownership history with some of the finest collectors in the world. The car has passed from one important collection to the next, proving just how special this particular example is.

The car presents exceptionally well throughout and this is all coupled with the fact that the 166 was the model that put Ferrari on the map and set the course for the years of greatness that would follow. To put it simply, Ferrari would not be where it is today without the 166.