Cars 1940-50
1940 The Parade of Progress
2006 SOLD for $ 4.3M including premium by Barrett-Jackson
2015 SOLD for $ 4M hammer price for charity
PRE 2015 SALE DISCUSSION
The Parade of Progress is an idea of the engineer and inventor Charles F. 'Boss Ket' Kettering, head of research at General Motors since 1920. He had conceived this great tour dedicated to technical progress when he visited the 1933 World Exposition in Chicago.
The first parade starts in 1936. The exhibitions are installed for two to four days in small towns in North America. They look like a circus. The lectures are made in a large tent with more than 1200 seats. The parade buses display the equipment.
The idea of Boss Ket was educational and generous. The themes were not limited to automobiles, but this great marketing operation enabled General Motors to meet in three years 12.5 million visitors in 251 towns in USA, Canada, Mexico and Cuba.
The Parade of Progress was a great success, which enabled GM to organize their sales network throughout North America. In 1940, the original eight buses are replaced by twelve huge vehicles 3.5 m high and 10 m long manufactured by GMC Trucks and bodyworked by Fisher : the Futurliners.
The war interrupted the operation, and the Futurliners waited until 1953 to go on parade. Communication techniques had changed in the meantime and the operation, now less efficient than the direct exhibition of cars in the GM Motoramas, was stopped in 1956.
The Futurliners were dispersed. GM offered two of them to the Michigan State Police, who used them for awareness of road safety under the name of Safetyliners.
A Futurliner was sold for $ 4.3 million including premium byBarrett-Jackson on 21 January 2006. This bus carefully restored in its original GM colors and inscriptions will be sold at no reserve to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation by the same auction house at Scottsdale on January 17, lot 2501.
POST SALE COMMENT
SOLD $ 4M hammer price (event observed live).
No fees applied.
$ 4.6M total raised for this lot on behalf of the Armed Forces Foundation.
The Parade of Progress is an idea of the engineer and inventor Charles F. 'Boss Ket' Kettering, head of research at General Motors since 1920. He had conceived this great tour dedicated to technical progress when he visited the 1933 World Exposition in Chicago.
The first parade starts in 1936. The exhibitions are installed for two to four days in small towns in North America. They look like a circus. The lectures are made in a large tent with more than 1200 seats. The parade buses display the equipment.
The idea of Boss Ket was educational and generous. The themes were not limited to automobiles, but this great marketing operation enabled General Motors to meet in three years 12.5 million visitors in 251 towns in USA, Canada, Mexico and Cuba.
The Parade of Progress was a great success, which enabled GM to organize their sales network throughout North America. In 1940, the original eight buses are replaced by twelve huge vehicles 3.5 m high and 10 m long manufactured by GMC Trucks and bodyworked by Fisher : the Futurliners.
The war interrupted the operation, and the Futurliners waited until 1953 to go on parade. Communication techniques had changed in the meantime and the operation, now less efficient than the direct exhibition of cars in the GM Motoramas, was stopped in 1956.
The Futurliners were dispersed. GM offered two of them to the Michigan State Police, who used them for awareness of road safety under the name of Safetyliners.
A Futurliner was sold for $ 4.3 million including premium byBarrett-Jackson on 21 January 2006. This bus carefully restored in its original GM colors and inscriptions will be sold at no reserve to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation by the same auction house at Scottsdale on January 17, lot 2501.
POST SALE COMMENT
SOLD $ 4M hammer price (event observed live).
No fees applied.
$ 4.6M total raised for this lot on behalf of the Armed Forces Foundation.
$4,600,000 raised at #BarrettJackson all going to #HelpSaveOurTroops pic.twitter.com/Ycn5bqCxrq
— Armed Forces FNDN (@SupportAFF) January 18, 2015
1947 A Post-War Bentley
2012 SOLD 2.75 M$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Luxury cars of the 1930s give the impression of an infinite variety. The chassis was entrusted to skilled bodybuilders who competed with each other to attract wealthy clients.
World War II slowed their art without stopping completely, as evidenced by a 1947 Bentley available in the sale organized by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale AZ from January 15 to 22.
This Mark VI model has a rare feature: the chassis has been sent to France to be coachworked as a convertible cabriolet by Franay. The result is interesting. The elegance of the lines is English, but the powerful look is in the fashion of the massive French cars of that time. This Bentley looks like a Delahaye.
I have found it again on the web (with the same plate!). It was sold for $ 1.7M including premium in the sale heldf rom March 30 to April 1, 2006 in Palm Beach, also by Barrett-Jackson.
Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The gain in six years is remarkable. This car was sold $ 2.75 million including premium.
Luxury cars of the 1930s give the impression of an infinite variety. The chassis was entrusted to skilled bodybuilders who competed with each other to attract wealthy clients.
World War II slowed their art without stopping completely, as evidenced by a 1947 Bentley available in the sale organized by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale AZ from January 15 to 22.
This Mark VI model has a rare feature: the chassis has been sent to France to be coachworked as a convertible cabriolet by Franay. The result is interesting. The elegance of the lines is English, but the powerful look is in the fashion of the massive French cars of that time. This Bentley looks like a Delahaye.
I have found it again on the web (with the same plate!). It was sold for $ 1.7M including premium in the sale heldf rom March 30 to April 1, 2006 in Palm Beach, also by Barrett-Jackson.
Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The gain in six years is remarkable. This car was sold $ 2.75 million including premium.
1948 On the Italian Roads
2013 SOLD for $ 4.84M including premium by Gooding
2018 SOLD for $ 3.5M including premium
PRE 2018 SALE DISCUSSION
After the war, Italians rediscover their passion for motor racing. The Mille Miglia restarts in 1947, followed in 1948 by the Targa Florio which takes the form of a tour of Sicily. Several city-to-city competitions are also organized.
Alfa Romeo is competing with Maserati and also with two new Italian brands, Cisitalia and Ferrari. Aerodynamic improvements revive the popularity of coupes. In parallel, new developments of single-seaters anticipate the Formula 1 which will be created in 1950.
The production of Alfa Romeo had been interrupted by the bombing of the plant in 1944. The evolution of the traditional 6C range of models equipped with a 6-cylinder in line engine is however not forgotten. Alfa Romeo builds in 1948 for competition a small series of three coupes 6C 2500 with a 2.5 liter engine assembled on a chassis 8C 2900 that was shortened and lightened. The bodywork is not subcontracted.
Only one of these three cars survives. It has a rich competition history including four successive participations in the Mille Miglia. It was later one of the Sleeping Beauties of the Dovaz collection where it waited for four decades under the dust a renewed interest in classic cars.
A later collector found, restored and reinstalled its original engine, and re-established this car close to its original configuration. It was sold for $ 4.84M including premium by Gooding in August 2013 over a lower estimate of $ 2.8M. It is estimated $ 3M for sale by Bonhams at Quail Lodge (Carmel) on August 24, lot 99.
Please watch the video prepared by the auction house. The image at Retromobile is shared by Wikimedia with attribution By Thesupermat [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
After the war, Italians rediscover their passion for motor racing. The Mille Miglia restarts in 1947, followed in 1948 by the Targa Florio which takes the form of a tour of Sicily. Several city-to-city competitions are also organized.
Alfa Romeo is competing with Maserati and also with two new Italian brands, Cisitalia and Ferrari. Aerodynamic improvements revive the popularity of coupes. In parallel, new developments of single-seaters anticipate the Formula 1 which will be created in 1950.
The production of Alfa Romeo had been interrupted by the bombing of the plant in 1944. The evolution of the traditional 6C range of models equipped with a 6-cylinder in line engine is however not forgotten. Alfa Romeo builds in 1948 for competition a small series of three coupes 6C 2500 with a 2.5 liter engine assembled on a chassis 8C 2900 that was shortened and lightened. The bodywork is not subcontracted.
Only one of these three cars survives. It has a rich competition history including four successive participations in the Mille Miglia. It was later one of the Sleeping Beauties of the Dovaz collection where it waited for four decades under the dust a renewed interest in classic cars.
A later collector found, restored and reinstalled its original engine, and re-established this car close to its original configuration. It was sold for $ 4.84M including premium by Gooding in August 2013 over a lower estimate of $ 2.8M. It is estimated $ 3M for sale by Bonhams at Quail Lodge (Carmel) on August 24, lot 99.
Please watch the video prepared by the auction house. The image at Retromobile is shared by Wikimedia with attribution By Thesupermat [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
1948 Tucker 48
2012 SOLD for $ 2.9M including premium by Barrett-Jackson
narrated in 2017 before the sale of another car by RM Sotheby's (see below)
The post-war period calls for new solutions. Preston Tucker becomes a motor manufacturer and automaker in 1948. He is the creator of a single model, the Tucker 48, built in 51 units including a prototype. The other brands do not like the mediatized arrival of this new company. On a suspicion of fraud that will not be confirmed during his trial, Tucker terminates his business in March 1949 leaving behind him 23 unsold cars.
Described as a torpedo, the Tucker 48 is a sedan with low bodywork designed for security, speed and comfort. It is equipped with a third headlight that lights up when the driver turns the steering wheel. Other features are very innovative including the windscreen that does not burst under impact.
The car of the future designed by Tucker has aroused passions but it is not perfect. Only specialists were able to keep it in working order after the untimely disappearance of the brand.
On January 21, 2012, Barrett-Jackson sold the 43rd Tucker, chassis number 1043, which had been restored by Nostalgic Motoring, the best technical expert of the Tucker 48. It fetched $ 2.9M including premium.
The 44th was sold for $ 1.35M including premium by RM Sotheby's on January 19, 2017 and the 34th for $ 2.04M including premium by Gooding on January 18, 2020.
Described as a torpedo, the Tucker 48 is a sedan with low bodywork designed for security, speed and comfort. It is equipped with a third headlight that lights up when the driver turns the steering wheel. Other features are very innovative including the windscreen that does not burst under impact.
The car of the future designed by Tucker has aroused passions but it is not perfect. Only specialists were able to keep it in working order after the untimely disappearance of the brand.
On January 21, 2012, Barrett-Jackson sold the 43rd Tucker, chassis number 1043, which had been restored by Nostalgic Motoring, the best technical expert of the Tucker 48. It fetched $ 2.9M including premium.
The 44th was sold for $ 1.35M including premium by RM Sotheby's on January 19, 2017 and the 34th for $ 2.04M including premium by Gooding on January 18, 2020.
1948 The Fifty Hatched Chickens of Preston Tucker
2020 SOLD for $ 2.04M including premium
Preston Tucker is exuberant, megalomaniac and enthusiastic. In the 1930s he was a partner and close friend of Harry Miller, a manufacturer of innovative competition cars for the Indianapolis 500. His military work included a combat car, refused by the US army because it was too fast.
There is no shortage of ideas for innovation, because they do not interest the big manufacturers concerned with profitability. The war is over. Miller died in 1943. Tucker publishes in December 1946 his conceptions for the Car of Tomorrow, tentatively named Tucker Torpedo.
Enthusiasm encourages bluffing. Before the project even got started, Tucker shares his company for $ 20M on the Chicago Stock Exchange. He leases the largest hangar in the world, the Chicago Dodge Plant, disused by the cessation of production of warplanes. He buys a company producing helicopter engines. He sells 2,000 resale concessions while announcing a production target of 300 cars per day and he hires 1,900 employees.
The car of his dreams includes real improvements in all major components. The unveiling of the first prototype in June 1947 is however a technical fiasco : it is obvious that the development is still ongoing.
Tucker is relying on a unique model, the 48, thus designated by reference to its year of production. It is really different from other cars of its time. It is a sedan whose aerodynamic shape remains compatible with a spacious interior layout. The central cyclops eye which lights up when cornering will not have an imitator but the safety windshield which does not explode under an impact, the seatbelt and the anti-theft are lasting progress. Promised in 1946, the central steering wheel and the wrapping doors into the roof were not retained.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has doubts about the real desire for mass production that had enabled the issue of the shares. The factory is closed by court decision in March 1949. Only 58 chassis had been produced, serial numbers 1001 to 1058, and 36 cars had been finished. Tucker manages to assemble 14 additional cars. He will be declared not guilty in January 1950 but his company had died. 23 cars were still in stock at the time of the liquidation in October 1950.
Preston Tucker had counted his chickens before they were hatched. The fifty Tuckers 48 nevertheless demonstrate the viability of his visions. There was still work to be done for improvement, especially for maintainability, but almost all of the 50 survive. Among the four cars destroyed or dismantled, let us refer the 1042 scrapped by a furious creditor.
The 1034 remains in a very good original condition without having been restored. It even keeps its leather and carpets. It has been repainted in its rare original Waltz Blue Metallic color. With 5,200 miles from new, it was sold for $ 1.32M including premium by Gooding on March 9, 2012. I narrated it in this column before the sale.
Its new owner used it. With now 6,300 cumulated miles, it is estimated $ 1.75M for sale by Gooding in Scottsdale on January 18, lot 121. Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
There is no shortage of ideas for innovation, because they do not interest the big manufacturers concerned with profitability. The war is over. Miller died in 1943. Tucker publishes in December 1946 his conceptions for the Car of Tomorrow, tentatively named Tucker Torpedo.
Enthusiasm encourages bluffing. Before the project even got started, Tucker shares his company for $ 20M on the Chicago Stock Exchange. He leases the largest hangar in the world, the Chicago Dodge Plant, disused by the cessation of production of warplanes. He buys a company producing helicopter engines. He sells 2,000 resale concessions while announcing a production target of 300 cars per day and he hires 1,900 employees.
The car of his dreams includes real improvements in all major components. The unveiling of the first prototype in June 1947 is however a technical fiasco : it is obvious that the development is still ongoing.
Tucker is relying on a unique model, the 48, thus designated by reference to its year of production. It is really different from other cars of its time. It is a sedan whose aerodynamic shape remains compatible with a spacious interior layout. The central cyclops eye which lights up when cornering will not have an imitator but the safety windshield which does not explode under an impact, the seatbelt and the anti-theft are lasting progress. Promised in 1946, the central steering wheel and the wrapping doors into the roof were not retained.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has doubts about the real desire for mass production that had enabled the issue of the shares. The factory is closed by court decision in March 1949. Only 58 chassis had been produced, serial numbers 1001 to 1058, and 36 cars had been finished. Tucker manages to assemble 14 additional cars. He will be declared not guilty in January 1950 but his company had died. 23 cars were still in stock at the time of the liquidation in October 1950.
Preston Tucker had counted his chickens before they were hatched. The fifty Tuckers 48 nevertheless demonstrate the viability of his visions. There was still work to be done for improvement, especially for maintainability, but almost all of the 50 survive. Among the four cars destroyed or dismantled, let us refer the 1042 scrapped by a furious creditor.
The 1034 remains in a very good original condition without having been restored. It even keeps its leather and carpets. It has been repainted in its rare original Waltz Blue Metallic color. With 5,200 miles from new, it was sold for $ 1.32M including premium by Gooding on March 9, 2012. I narrated it in this column before the sale.
Its new owner used it. With now 6,300 cumulated miles, it is estimated $ 1.75M for sale by Gooding in Scottsdale on January 18, lot 121. Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1949 Post War Extravagance
2010 SOLD 3.3 M$ including premium
In the 1930s, coachworkers were building gorgeous bodies on the chassis of luxury cars. In 1949, extending this practice, some vehicles are still produced specifically for private clients who focus on exhibitions and concours d'elegance.
Thus was born this unlikely Delahaye 175S Roadster coachworked by Saoutchik. The specialty of this brand was the sports cars, to join in the garage of the rich the city cars from Rolls Royce.
Giving the impression of devouring the road, this huge and slender convertible is designed so that only the body is visible, with very low windows and hidden wheels. Currently a flamboyant turquoise, it is estimated $ 4 million, for sale by RM Auctions in Monterey on August 14. I did not find what was the original color.
The video is shared on YouTube by the auction house.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price to be paid for extravagance is lower than what was hoped by the auction house, but this lot has still been sold: $ 3 million before fees, with an additional 10% buyer's charge.
The image is shared on Wikimedia. Attribution : By Simon Davison from Los Gatos, United States cropped, some objects removed by uploader Mr.choppers (RM-55) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Thus was born this unlikely Delahaye 175S Roadster coachworked by Saoutchik. The specialty of this brand was the sports cars, to join in the garage of the rich the city cars from Rolls Royce.
Giving the impression of devouring the road, this huge and slender convertible is designed so that only the body is visible, with very low windows and hidden wheels. Currently a flamboyant turquoise, it is estimated $ 4 million, for sale by RM Auctions in Monterey on August 14. I did not find what was the original color.
The video is shared on YouTube by the auction house.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price to be paid for extravagance is lower than what was hoped by the auction house, but this lot has still been sold: $ 3 million before fees, with an additional 10% buyer's charge.
The image is shared on Wikimedia. Attribution : By Simon Davison from Los Gatos, United States cropped, some objects removed by uploader Mr.choppers (RM-55) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
1949 It's a Long Way for an Early Ferrari
2011 SOLD 1.87 M$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The Ferrari brand began in 1947 with the 125S model. Two cars were produced. They engaged in 14 races, won 6 and were later dismantled. Then came the 159S model, also built in two specimens.
The Ferrari 166S succeeded to them and existed in four variants : Spyder Corsa and Sport from 1947, Inter and MM from 1948. This model brought the first real glory to the brand when one of them won the Mille Miglia in 1948. The MM name refers to this famous endurance race.
RM Auctions sells on January 21 in Phoenix a Ferrari 166 MM made in 1949, with chassis number 0024M. It had been equipped with a Barchetta body made by Carrozzeria Touring.
This car had a career of adventure, remarkably recorded in the catalog. Commissioned at the Paris Salon, it went towin its first race in Argentina but did not obtain permission to import.
It got 18 successive owners, including 9 in its first ten years. The fourth transformed it into a berlinetta. The seventh took away its engine which was later embedded in another car. The thiteenth, with the help of a dealer, managed to recover the original engine. The fourteenth took five years from 1986 to restore the car, including a new Barchetta bodywork.
Painted in red after experiencing various colors, we see it in the press release shared by Sports Car Digest. For this composite vehicle equipped with its original chassis, engine and gearbox, the estimate is not published. It is offered with no reserve price.
POST SALE COMMENT
The complex history of this Ferrari has not deterred the buyers, probably attracted by the earliness of the model. It had been estimated $ 1.9 million, and was sold for $ 1.7 million before fees, 1.87 million including premium.
The Ferrari brand began in 1947 with the 125S model. Two cars were produced. They engaged in 14 races, won 6 and were later dismantled. Then came the 159S model, also built in two specimens.
The Ferrari 166S succeeded to them and existed in four variants : Spyder Corsa and Sport from 1947, Inter and MM from 1948. This model brought the first real glory to the brand when one of them won the Mille Miglia in 1948. The MM name refers to this famous endurance race.
RM Auctions sells on January 21 in Phoenix a Ferrari 166 MM made in 1949, with chassis number 0024M. It had been equipped with a Barchetta body made by Carrozzeria Touring.
This car had a career of adventure, remarkably recorded in the catalog. Commissioned at the Paris Salon, it went towin its first race in Argentina but did not obtain permission to import.
It got 18 successive owners, including 9 in its first ten years. The fourth transformed it into a berlinetta. The seventh took away its engine which was later embedded in another car. The thiteenth, with the help of a dealer, managed to recover the original engine. The fourteenth took five years from 1986 to restore the car, including a new Barchetta bodywork.
Painted in red after experiencing various colors, we see it in the press release shared by Sports Car Digest. For this composite vehicle equipped with its original chassis, engine and gearbox, the estimate is not published. It is offered with no reserve price.
POST SALE COMMENT
The complex history of this Ferrari has not deterred the buyers, probably attracted by the earliness of the model. It had been estimated $ 1.9 million, and was sold for $ 1.7 million before fees, 1.87 million including premium.
1950 Ferrari improves his Engine
2015 SOLD for $ 7.9M including premium
Mastering chassis and engine is the key of the first successes of Ferrari, eager and anxious to overcome Alfa Romeo. His two motorist engineers are subject to a fierce internal competition.
Colombo equips the first models by assembling a twelve-cylinder engine desired by Ferrari. They are low-volume but a 125 S brings the first victory in a local track competition in Piacenza on 25 May 1947. The Ferrari 166 MM engages in road racing, taking its acronym in reference to the Mille Miglia.
Lampredi designs an innovative engine for Ferrari, also as a twelve-cylinder. The 3.3 liter is for road sport and the 4.1 liter is at first for Formula 1.
In 1950, the first cars equipped with the Lampredi 3.3 liter engine are two Ferrari 275 S, bodied by Touring in barchettas. Despite a promising start in the Mille Miglia, both cars leave the race for the same defect, a broken rear axle. The boss does not like defeat: there will be no further 275 S.
Both 275 S returned to the factory to be upgraded with the 4.1 liter engine that turns them into Ferrari 340 America. They had afterward an acceptable racing history.
The first 275S / 340 is estimated $ 7.5M, for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 14, lot 217.
Like many cars of this period, it underwent transformations. After retiring from competition, its body was remade by Scaglietti, again as a barchetta. The 4.1 liter engine was then removed by a conscientious collector who carefully maintained it, and it was later reinstalled.
Driven by Ascari as a 275 S in the 1950 Mille Miglia, this car has reappeared more than once in this competition since 2005. I invite you to watch the video shared by RM Sotheby's demonstrating its great working condition.
Colombo equips the first models by assembling a twelve-cylinder engine desired by Ferrari. They are low-volume but a 125 S brings the first victory in a local track competition in Piacenza on 25 May 1947. The Ferrari 166 MM engages in road racing, taking its acronym in reference to the Mille Miglia.
Lampredi designs an innovative engine for Ferrari, also as a twelve-cylinder. The 3.3 liter is for road sport and the 4.1 liter is at first for Formula 1.
In 1950, the first cars equipped with the Lampredi 3.3 liter engine are two Ferrari 275 S, bodied by Touring in barchettas. Despite a promising start in the Mille Miglia, both cars leave the race for the same defect, a broken rear axle. The boss does not like defeat: there will be no further 275 S.
Both 275 S returned to the factory to be upgraded with the 4.1 liter engine that turns them into Ferrari 340 America. They had afterward an acceptable racing history.
The first 275S / 340 is estimated $ 7.5M, for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 14, lot 217.
Like many cars of this period, it underwent transformations. After retiring from competition, its body was remade by Scaglietti, again as a barchetta. The 4.1 liter engine was then removed by a conscientious collector who carefully maintained it, and it was later reinstalled.
Driven by Ascari as a 275 S in the 1950 Mille Miglia, this car has reappeared more than once in this competition since 2005. I invite you to watch the video shared by RM Sotheby's demonstrating its great working condition.
1950 An Early Upgraded Ferrari
2016 SOLD for $ 6.5M including premium
2018 UNSOLD
PRE 2018 SALE DISCUSSION
Early Ferrari cars were submitted to many trials for setting a continuous improvement of the models. It was not unfrequent that a car was upgraded by the factory either on request by the brand or by a demanding owner.
The 166 MM/195 S that sold for $ 6.5M including premium at Gooding on January 29, 2016 is a typical example. It is estimated $ 6.5M for sale by Gooding in Pebble Beach on August 25, lot 145. Here is the link to the press release.
I narrated it as follows in 2016.
The development of the engine is of paramount importance in the racing debut of Ferrari cars. The model 166 caused a sensation from its release in 1948. This figure indicates the displacement in cc of each of the twelve cylinders of the Colombo V12 engine for a total of 2 liters.
The chassis are sent to subcontractors who assemble the cars as berlinetta, barchetta or spyder. The berlinetta is an early success because it can be used both on road and on track. All the elements that will make the tremendous success of the brand are already in place.
The Ferrari coming for sale is one of the six 166MM coachworked as Berlinettas Le Mans by Carrozzeria Touring. Completed in June 1950, it is first raced in the following month. Chinetti, who is already the agent of Ferrari in the United States, exhibits it at the Paris Motor Show in October for finding an American buyer.
The car is purchased by the sportsman and team leader Briggs Cunningham, after he had applauded the feat of Chinetti topping the early hours at Le Mans in 1950 with a 195S berlinetta. The major difference between 166 and 195 is its bore enlarged from 60 to 65 mm enabling a displacement of 2.3 liters.
Cunningham has immediately upgraded his 166 to the 195 specification by Ferrari. In December 1950, this car has the honor of becoming the first competition Ferrari imported in the USA. A few days later it begins its American career at Sebring.
Early Ferrari cars were submitted to many trials for setting a continuous improvement of the models. It was not unfrequent that a car was upgraded by the factory either on request by the brand or by a demanding owner.
The 166 MM/195 S that sold for $ 6.5M including premium at Gooding on January 29, 2016 is a typical example. It is estimated $ 6.5M for sale by Gooding in Pebble Beach on August 25, lot 145. Here is the link to the press release.
I narrated it as follows in 2016.
The development of the engine is of paramount importance in the racing debut of Ferrari cars. The model 166 caused a sensation from its release in 1948. This figure indicates the displacement in cc of each of the twelve cylinders of the Colombo V12 engine for a total of 2 liters.
The chassis are sent to subcontractors who assemble the cars as berlinetta, barchetta or spyder. The berlinetta is an early success because it can be used both on road and on track. All the elements that will make the tremendous success of the brand are already in place.
The Ferrari coming for sale is one of the six 166MM coachworked as Berlinettas Le Mans by Carrozzeria Touring. Completed in June 1950, it is first raced in the following month. Chinetti, who is already the agent of Ferrari in the United States, exhibits it at the Paris Motor Show in October for finding an American buyer.
The car is purchased by the sportsman and team leader Briggs Cunningham, after he had applauded the feat of Chinetti topping the early hours at Le Mans in 1950 with a 195S berlinetta. The major difference between 166 and 195 is its bore enlarged from 60 to 65 mm enabling a displacement of 2.3 liters.
Cunningham has immediately upgraded his 166 to the 195 specification by Ferrari. In December 1950, this car has the honor of becoming the first competition Ferrari imported in the USA. A few days later it begins its American career at Sebring.
1950 A Wingless Jet on a Ferrari Frame
2017 SOLD for $ 4.5M including premium
The Marzotto family owns a very important textile factory at Valdagno in the Veneto region. The four sons of Count Gaetano enter very young in the automobile competition at the very moment when Enzo Ferrari is creating his company. They are the most important customers in Ferrari's beginning, owning and racing up to 20 cars of the new brand.
The young Count Giannino Marzotto bought as early as 1948 a Ferrari 166 Inter. There is no lack of flamboyance for him at this time when wealthy amateurs can still compete with professionals. His victory in full suit at the 1950 Mille Miglia on a Ferrari 195S remains in the annals.
The four brothers participated in that competition with Ferrari cars. The 166 MM of Umberto Marzotto, heavily crashed, returns to the factory and is supplied in the following year to Giannino. At the risk of displeasing Enzo, Giannino entrusts this chassis to the Carrozzeria Fontana which is not a usual partner to Ferrari.
Relying on the aeronautical training of Franco Reggiani, Fontana builds a berlinetta in the shape of a jet without wings, amicably nicknamed L'Uovo (the Egg), 150 Kg lighter than a regular Ferrari car. Marzotto's quest for efficiency pays off as he drives his Uovo to victory in the Giro della Toscana.
This Ferrari 166 MM upgraded to 212 Export that looks like no other car is estimated $ 5M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 18, lot 152. Please watch the video shared by RM.
The young Count Giannino Marzotto bought as early as 1948 a Ferrari 166 Inter. There is no lack of flamboyance for him at this time when wealthy amateurs can still compete with professionals. His victory in full suit at the 1950 Mille Miglia on a Ferrari 195S remains in the annals.
The four brothers participated in that competition with Ferrari cars. The 166 MM of Umberto Marzotto, heavily crashed, returns to the factory and is supplied in the following year to Giannino. At the risk of displeasing Enzo, Giannino entrusts this chassis to the Carrozzeria Fontana which is not a usual partner to Ferrari.
Relying on the aeronautical training of Franco Reggiani, Fontana builds a berlinetta in the shape of a jet without wings, amicably nicknamed L'Uovo (the Egg), 150 Kg lighter than a regular Ferrari car. Marzotto's quest for efficiency pays off as he drives his Uovo to victory in the Giro della Toscana.
This Ferrari 166 MM upgraded to 212 Export that looks like no other car is estimated $ 5M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 18, lot 152. Please watch the video shared by RM.
