Vehicle Description
It can be argued that the little 166, Ferrari's seminal early 1950s
sports racing car, is the most important model in the marque's 70
year history. While there been faster, sleeker, more exotic
Ferraris that have conquered the great races of the world, it is
the tiny, jewel-like 166 that truly marked the intersection of
Scuderia Ferrari the race team and Ferrari the constructor. Ferrari
166 drivers such as Eugenio Castellotti, Luigi Chinetti, Alberto
Ascari and Clementi Biondetti put Ferrari on the map as a
world-class constructor of race-winning cars that could be bought
by privateers. The 166 was the first Ferrari to win at the Mille
Miglia with Biondetti in a 166 S (the MM moniker following to
commemorate that momentous win). Biondetti repeated that feat a
year later, while wins at Silverstone, the Targa Florio and
countless other events soon came pouring in. In 1949, a 166 MM
Barchetta was the first Ferrari to score an outright victory at
LeMans after an heroic effort by Chinetti and just two weeks later,
a 166 won the 24 hour race at Spa Francorchamps. Luigi Chinetti's
move to the United States and his establishment of Ferrari North
America was a pivotal moment for Ferrari and the 166 MM. The
burgeoning road racing scene in the USA was gaining tremendous
momentum, and wealthy car owners and drivers began purchasing
"gently used" Ferrari sports racers such as the 166 MM at a
feverish rate. It soon became clear that to win, you needed a
Ferrari. So the 166 again proved itself as a landmark machine: The
car that established Ferrari in the critical North American market.
One might think that Ferrari employed a "power in numbers"
technique to achieve such success, but in reality, a mere 46
examples of the gorgeous little 166 were built between 1948 and
1953, with those 46 cars going on to win a tremendous amount of
races. As was typical for Ferrari, numerous coachbuilders applied
their craft to the robust 166 chassis, including Stabilimenti
Farina, Touring, and Zagato. These cars were tools for racing so
they were often used hard and cast aside when a newer, faster
machine was made available. Inevitably, some were crashed and
rebuilt, blown up and fitted with new engines, or had other major
assemblies replaced or upgraded as needed. As a result, a scant few
survived wearing most or all of their original components intact.
Our featured example is a highly desirable 166MM/53, wearing S/N
0300M, which was dispatched from the Ferrari works on April 1, 1953
wearing Vignale Berlinetta coachwork as per the build sheet. The
8th of just 13 Series II 166 MM's produced, it was delivered via
Garage Francorchamps to Jacques Herzet of Belgium who immediately
set about competing in his lovely new acquisition. On May 17th of
that year, Herzet competed in the Coupe des Spa, finishing second
overall in is very first outing with the 166; no doubt a sign of
things to come and hinting that his 166 MM had a particularly
potent V12 under the bonnet. He enjoyed a tremendous run of success
with the car, finishing on the podium in events such as the Coppa
D'Oro, Rallye des Alpes, and a class win and 3rd overall on the
grueling Liege Rome Liege rally. Herzet went on to finish second in
the inaugural European Rally Championship in 1953; a remarkable
achievement for a privateer entry. Herzet's success was no doubt
aided by his young co-driver, a then-18-year old Lucien Bianchi,
who would himself go on to race in Formula 1, win the Tour de
France Auto on multiple occasions, and win the 1968 Le Mans 24H
overall in a Ford GT40. When the Belgian weather turned cold, Mr.
Herzet shipped his beloved 166 to South America and continued to
compete; enjoying many more top finishes in Brazil. But the rigors
of sport had taken their toll on the fragile Vignale coachwork, so
less than a year after taking delivery of 0300M, he returned it to
Belgium, entrusting it in the hands of designer and coachbuilder
Martial Oblin. The brief was simple - make the car look fresh, but
also make it lighter and thus more competitive. Oblin created a
stunning design in the "Barchetta" (little boat) style. Gently
sloping front fenders gave way to cut down doors that are
highlighted by beautiful curved haunches. Form follows function
with a bulged hood scoop to feed the trio of Weber carburetors, and
a simple cut-down Perspex screen runs the width of the cockpit,
revealing at this car's purpose as a road-rally competitor. The
Oblin body was indeed lighter, making the 166 a good deal quicker
as a result. The completed car was shown at the 1955 Brussels Motor
Show in a stunning and highly unusual matte charcoal color scheme,
accented by a deep red stripe running down the center and along the
rockers. This paint effect was very rare for the time and the car
caused quite a stir, earning a place in the 1955 Ferrari Yearbook.
Despite its show stopping appearance, Mr. Herzet returned to
competition with 0300M in numerous venues across Europe. Successful
runs continued through the end of his tenure with the car in 1957.
Rather unusually for the time, the majority of 0300M's competition
achievements came with the same driver/co-driver combination almost
from day one. In 1957 and following it's truly remarkable time with
Herzet, 166 MM 0300M was sold to Mr. Jean de Dobbeleer, a former
Bugatti Agent for Belgium. He retained the car through 1966, and is
credited for preserving it in its original condition at a time when
used racing cars were considered throwaway items. From de
Dobbeleer's hands, it was sold to a Mr. Ed Bond of Connecticut, USA
who cared for the car from 1966-1970 until passing it to Steve
McGeary of Florida (1970-1975), and then on to Robert Cressman,
also of Florida, who kept the car through 1977. All the while, the
Oblin Ferrari was sympathetically kept in remarkably original
condition; unmolested and mechanically unaltered from the time it
was in the hands of its original owner. 0300M then found a most
enthusiastic and caring owner in Robert Selz, who carefully
restored the car and enjoyed it for the next 35 years,
participating in many events including the Mille Miglia in 2005 and
2009. With a new owner in 2012 came a very careful and sympathetic
restoration to Brussels Motor Show specification in the hands of
Ferrari experts Charlie Webb and Kent Bain of Automotive
Restorations, Inc. in Connecticut. Mr. Webb has been responsible
many concours-winning Ferraris at venues such as Pebble Beach and
Villa d'Este. During this time, 0300M was inspected and researched
by Marcel Massini who found it to be in staggeringly original
condition, particularly for a car with such an accomplished race
history. It retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, and rear
axle, all of which are truly remarkable for a machine with such an
extensive racing pedigree. Since the restoration was completed, the
car was shown at the 2013 Cavallino Classic and the 2013 St. James
Concours in London. In the hands of its most recent owner, 0300M
was returned to Maranello where it was inspected by factory experts
in Ferrari's Classiche Department and awarded its "White Book"
authentication, a specific category by Ferrari Classiche that
provides the highest attestation for Ferraris of historical
interest, such as those used for race or show purposes. During this
process, Ferrari's Classsiche Department discovered that aside from
the major mechanical components previously verified by the Massini
Report, the carburetors and ignition system were in fact found to
be correct for 0300M. Build sheets indicated the car left the works
fitted with a trio of Weber 36 IF4C carburetors, but notations were
found that show the car was returned to the factory very soon after
delivery to be fitted with improved 36DCF/3s as specified by...for
more information please contact the seller.