Born in 1898, Enzo Ferrari made his debut as a race car driver in 1919 and founded Scuderia Ferrari 10 years later, in 1929. After handling Alfa Romeo's motorsport division for a decade, Enzo set up Auto Avio Costruzioni and built his first race car, the 815, in 1940.
With further development and production of the 815 put on hold when Italy entered World War II in 1940, Enzo decided to start making cars bearing his name and founded Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947. The red barchetta you see here is one of the first cars built by the company's then-new Maranello factory.
Enzo started with the 125 S, which was built in only two examples in 1947. It was immediately followed by the 159 S, also built in two units, and then by the 166 series. The latter arrived in 1948 and spawned three different versions, including the 166 MM. This red roadster saw daylight in 1948 as the first 166 MM prototype.
It was also the first Ferrari displayed at major auto shows that year, as well as the first "prancing horse" imported by Luigi Chinetti to the United States. And unlike its regular-production 166 MM siblings, it's powered by a 1.5-liter V12 instead of the larger 2.0-liter version of the Colombo-designed powerplant.
That's because the larger-displacement V12 wasn't ready for the car's debut at the Torino Auto Show, so Ferrari opted to showcase it with an older 1.5-liter engine from the 125 S. The engine was rated at 116 horsepower, 22 horses below the 2.0-liter V12 found in the production 166 MM.
Part of the Robert M. Lee Automobile Collection, the prototype is still alive and kicking in 2022. It sports a perfect layer of red paint, and it has a spotless saddle brown interior, while the V12 looks stunning from every angle. And as the video below shows, it runs like new and it sounds wonderful. If you're a fan of race-inspired V12 mills from the late 1940s, you need to crank up the volume before you hit play.
While this specific 166 MM didn't go racing, the 2.0-liter-powered production cars did and won quite a few notable events. A 166 S won the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia in 1948, while a pair of 166 MMs scored a 1-2 victory at Mille Miglia in 1949. The MM also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Spa 24 Hours the same year. These cars are valued at up to $10 million nowadays, but they rarely cross the auction block.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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