what's the story on this 166? | FerrariChat

what's the story on this 166?

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by Randy, Dec 24, 2018.

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  1. Randy

    Randy Formula 3

    Nov 9, 2003
    1,012
    Illinois
    Full Name:
    Randy
    1948 Ferrari 166 Fontana Barchetta

    Exterior Color
    Rosso Corsa
    Interior Color
    tan
    Mileage
    .
    Price
    $2,950,000.00
    Image Unavailable, Please Login

    1948 Ferrari 166 Fontana Barchetta S/N 012i
    – Spyder Corsa coachwork by Ansaloni when delivered new in 1948
    – 1949 Mille Miglia as Spyder Corsa with Giovanni Bracco and Umberto Maglioli
    – 1949 sold to Scuderia Marzotto
    – Fontana coachwork in Touring Barchetta style
    – 1950 Mille Miglia 9th overall with Vittorio Marzotto and Paolo Fontana
    – 10 first place finishes
    – fresh specialist restoration

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    Ferrari sports racers of the day were of the 166 Spyder Corsa type with lightweight alloy bodies and cycle fenders by Carrozzeria Ansaloni. Our car on offer, Serial Number 012i, would start its racing career in exactly this guise and go on to many victories, podiums, and even bodies. Campaigned throughout 1948 and 1949 by Giovanni Bracco, 012i with Bracco at the wheel would win no fewer than five races over those two seasons. Eventual Ferrari Works driver Umberto Maglioli would accompany Bracco in the 1949 Mille Miglia but a DNF was their disappointing result. Regardless, Bracco would go on to claim the 1949 Italian Hill Climb championship with 14 events in his Spyder Corsa.

    The Spyder Corsa in late 1949 would be sold to Scuderia Marzotto, owned by the textile manufacturing Marzotto family, and a favorite customer of Enzo Ferrari. While exceedingly successful in Spyder Corsa form, the Marzotto’s would commission Carrozzeria Fontana to build a more elegant looking body, in the style of the just appearing Barchetta by Carrozzeria Touring. This transformation of coachwork did nothing to quell the success of 012i as it too won five events over the 1950 and 1951 racing season. And the newly clothed Fontana Barchetta would finish an impressive 9th overall at the 1950 Mille Miglia with Vittorio Marzotto sharing the cockpit with the coachbuilder himself, Paolo Fontana.

    The next few decades were not as glamorous for the once highly successful 166. A bit more racing, a 2.0 litre competition engine installed, many European owners and then like so many racing cars of that time, an afterthought, having lost its lustre. That is until a passionate USA collector took on the restoration project, a collaboration of specialist Ferrari work shops in California, to bring the 166 back to its winning form and as it looks today.

    Spyder Corsa, Fontana Barchetta, 166, 2.0, Bracco, Marzotto, Fontana, Mille Miglia… our Ferrari 012i has led a fabled life these past 70 years. Positively not pure as it left the factory, having experienced the exploits of 1950s racing. The Fontana Barchetta though the genuine article and
     
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  2. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary

    Mar 2, 2005
    22,739
    Sold by RM Monaco 12 May 2012 to current owner.

    Marcel Massini
     
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  3. Randy

    Randy Formula 3

    Nov 9, 2003
    1,012
    Illinois
    Full Name:
    Randy
    what was the sales price? original engine?
     
  4. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary

    Mar 2, 2005
    22,739
    Euro € 1'010'000, sold post auction.
    You can find a detailed description on the RM Sotheby's website (Monaco May 2012).

    Marcel Massini
     
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  5. readplays

    readplays Formula 3

    Aug 22, 2008
    2,344
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Dave Powers
  6. Motob

    Motob Formula 3
    Professional Ferrari Technician

    Nov 11, 2003
    2,238
    Frederick, Maryland
    Full Name:
    Brian Brown
  7. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
    Owner

    Apr 17, 2005
    1,165
    Santa Fe, NM
    Full Name:
    Lowell Brown
    Ugly compared to a Touring Barchetta
     
  8. Timmmmmmmmmmy

    Timmmmmmmmmmy F1 Rookie

    Apr 5, 2010
    2,612
    NZ
    Full Name:
    Timothy Russell
    When #012I was sold at RM Monaco back in 2012 there was much debate on just what could be saved from the car that came out of Italy since much of the tubing was rather worn out. The question then remained and may remain, would this car get Classiche certification or was too much replaced in the decade long restoration?
     
  9. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary

    Mar 2, 2005
    22,739
    It is a period rebody but it is not as it left the factory when sold to Marzotto.

    Marcel Massini
     
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  10. Smiles

    Smiles F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 20, 2003
    16,601
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Full Name:
    Matt F
    A million euros is eye-wateringly high for that car’s lack of originality.

    Matt
     
  11. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary

    Mar 2, 2005
    22,739
  12. Motob

    Motob Formula 3
    Professional Ferrari Technician

    Nov 11, 2003
    2,238
    Frederick, Maryland
    Full Name:
    Brian Brown
    #12 Motob, Dec 25, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2018
    The car that we are talking about is 012I. Those pre-restoration photos are of the chassis of 012I, not 0012M. If you look at photo #10 of 59, you can see the chassis number 012I on the stripped/ground down portion of the frame rail (don't know if it is original, as you can see a large amount of welding/grinding/metal-work in that area. I was there, as I am depicted looking at the Merritt Ferrari book in photo #13 of 59.
    The chassis numbers depicted in photos #5 and #6 of 59 are from 0012M, barchetta.cc must have mixed them up when posting them on their site.
     
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  13. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary

    Mar 2, 2005
    22,739
    That's exactly what I am saying in post #11.

    Marcel Massini
     
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  14. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
    Honorary

    Sep 7, 2004
    2,493
    West Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Edwin K. Niles
    Aha! One of my personal mysteries solved. Back in the day (70's?) Bill Schanbacher and I decided to be partners on a few cars. This was one of them. When it arrived, it had a strange engine with magnetos, an ugly body with big round-head rivets among the side ridges, and a completely different front suspension and cross member. We searched fruitlessly for a serial no, and finding none, Bill insisted on sending the car back to Europe to the seller. As the car had many very early indications, I didn't agree with Bill, but it was his money. Oh well! We probably wouldn't have given it the correct resto that it needed. Don't remember who our seller was.
     
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  15. P.Singhof

    P.Singhof F1 Rookie

    Apr 19, 2006
    4,810
    Stuttgart, Germany
    Full Name:
    Peter Singhof
    Which has the reason that on Barchetta the gallery is generated by a seach engine out of the Media Center...
    When looking at the gallery itself
    https://barchetta.mediacenter.plus/Automobiles/-/Ferrari/01-02468-even-numbers-Race-Cars/002C/012I/?v=a&dir=1988520&rd=1964537
    https://barchetta.mediacenter.plus/Automobiles/-/Ferrari/01-02468-even-numbers-Race-Cars/0002M-0098E/0012M-166/?v=a&dir=979&rd=1964537
    the images are in the correct folder, but because the image in question was labeled "Ferrari 166 SC sn ? 012I ?" it is found by the search engine for "012l" although it is already placed at 0012m....I will write them and it should be corrected soon
     
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  16. Leo Scanlan

    Leo Scanlan Rookie

    Jun 24, 2019
    3
    Full Name:
    Leo Scanlan
    Interesting topic with a lot of useful information. For more information, I usually use narrative essays at https://phdessay.com/category/narrative/ service. There is a lot of interesting stuff there that might be useful. It helped me a lot.
     
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