Photo: Remi Dargegen for RM Sotheby’s
Enzo Ferrari may have set up shop in 1939, but the first car to wear the Prancing Horse badge is the 125 S from 1947. Then the ‘50s rolled, and Enzo’s business began to bloom. One of the earliest examples of how mad that particular decade was for Ferrari is chassis no. 024MB, which started life as a 166 MM Barchetta.
Designed by Touring and powered by a 2.0-liter V12 good for approximately 140 horsepower, 024MB was bought by a man called Giannino Marzotto. His brother, Umberto, raced the car flat out, eventually crashing the 166 MM at the 1950 edition of the Mille Miglia. And thus, we get to the juicy part of the story.
The sorry state of the vehicle convinced Giannino to enlist the help of designer Sergio Reggiani, who created a one-off body shell on behalf of Carrozzeria Fontana. This is how chassis no. 024MB got its nickname: Uovo, which is the Italian word for “Egg.”
Looks very weird by modern and even that era’s standards, doesn’t it? That’s because Reggiani was experimenting with aerodynamics at the time. Not only that, but he was further inspired by the world of aeronautics. It’s pretty obvious, then, why the body was crafted of an alloy very close in composition with Duralumin. Lightweight tubing serves as the skeleton of the oddball-looking machine, and at the end of the day, Reggiani shaved off almost 200 pounds off the donor vehicle’s weight.
Modifications didn’t end there, though. The original engine was replaced with a larger, more powerful 2.6-liter V12 scavenged from a 212 Export. With three Weber carbs towering above it, the output of the engine was estimated, at the time, at 185 ponies.
Moving the seats farther back in the chassis wasn’t an inspired idea, though, chiefly because this led to twitchy handling at the limits of grip. The moment the Uovo was finished, both of the Marzotto brothers drove it to Maranello HQ to hear what Enzo thinks of it. Il Commendatore, as expected, was not impressed.
Fast-forward to the present day, and l’Uovo is now finding itself on the brink of being auctioned to a new owner. RM Sotheby’s will handle the sale of this uniquely styled blast from the past, with the estimate believed to be in the ballpark of $5.5 million.
RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2017 marks the first time in more than three decades since the Uovo has been offered for sale. What’s more, the pictured Fezza is highly eligible for vintage racing and concours events.
The sorry state of the vehicle convinced Giannino to enlist the help of designer Sergio Reggiani, who created a one-off body shell on behalf of Carrozzeria Fontana. This is how chassis no. 024MB got its nickname: Uovo, which is the Italian word for “Egg.”
Looks very weird by modern and even that era’s standards, doesn’t it? That’s because Reggiani was experimenting with aerodynamics at the time. Not only that, but he was further inspired by the world of aeronautics. It’s pretty obvious, then, why the body was crafted of an alloy very close in composition with Duralumin. Lightweight tubing serves as the skeleton of the oddball-looking machine, and at the end of the day, Reggiani shaved off almost 200 pounds off the donor vehicle’s weight.
Modifications didn’t end there, though. The original engine was replaced with a larger, more powerful 2.6-liter V12 scavenged from a 212 Export. With three Weber carbs towering above it, the output of the engine was estimated, at the time, at 185 ponies.
Moving the seats farther back in the chassis wasn’t an inspired idea, though, chiefly because this led to twitchy handling at the limits of grip. The moment the Uovo was finished, both of the Marzotto brothers drove it to Maranello HQ to hear what Enzo thinks of it. Il Commendatore, as expected, was not impressed.
Fast-forward to the present day, and l’Uovo is now finding itself on the brink of being auctioned to a new owner. RM Sotheby’s will handle the sale of this uniquely styled blast from the past, with the estimate believed to be in the ballpark of $5.5 million.
RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2017 marks the first time in more than three decades since the Uovo has been offered for sale. What’s more, the pictured Fezza is highly eligible for vintage racing and concours events.
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