Ferrari 166 S
The 166, so named for the
displacement of a single cylinder in its 2-litre V12 engine, has all the
classic characteristics of an early-20th century sports car. Wire wheels,
rear-wheel-drive, 2 seats perched behind a long bonnet containing a 2.0-litre,
140bhp V12 engine.
Designer Carlo Felice Bianchi
Anderloni aimed to give Ferrari a face with the 166 MM which raced at Mille
Miglia in 1949 – hoping that when the cars lined up to start the race they
would be unmistakably Ferraris. His work clearly paid off, as the evolution
from this to F12 and all front-engine, rear-drive Ferraris in between – as well
as the designs of countless other manufacturers.
Performance-wise the 166 wasn’t
too shabby either; in that same Mille Miglia in 1949 it came home in first and
second place, going on to triumph at Le Mans later that year.
