The most important Ferrari of all time? By John Lamm
Here’s a good argument starter: What is the most important Ferrari of all time? Not necessarily the fastest...nor the most beautiful...nor the most successful, but most important. We could give you an argument it is this one:
1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta, serial number 0008M.
Our reasoning? For all its fame today, in the late 1940s Ferrari was fighting to prove its worth. It had won some races as early as 1947, but it needed victories on the international stage. And 0008M did just that. Its accomplishments?
April 24, 1949, 1st overall on the Mille Miglia driven by Clemente Biondetti with Ettore Salani beside him. This backed up Biondetti’s Ferrari win in 1948.
June 25-26, 1949, 1st overall in the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, Luigi Chinetti driving some 23 1/2 hours. His co-driver and car owner, Peter Mitchell-Thompson--also known as Lord Selsdon--filling in for the half hour.
The name Ferrari was on the international stage.
Car number 22, the winning Ferrari 166 MM of Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon passing car number 12, the Delahaye 135 MS of René Bouchard and Pierre Larrue.
Under the 166MM is a ladder-type frame with a wishbone-transverse leaf front suspension and a rear live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs.
In winning at Le Mans, 0008M covered 235 laps, winning by a lap and also taking the Index of Performance.
Luigi Chinetti beat the French and British opposition with the Barchetta in the first postwar 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was his third win in the French classic.
Phil Hill drives 0008M at Le Mans during a retrospective event in 1973.
Look closely at the passenger’s side of the Ferrari and you’ll see an oil tank. Chinetti hated the idea of opening a race car’s hood during an event and so the oil tank was easy to get to.
Just the essentials, the tachometer large and readable...better than today’s digital, right?
The label next to the Magneti Marelli magneto points out this is a Ferrari Tipo 166 with chassis number 0008M and engine 0006M.
Gioachino Colombo designed the aluminum 24-valve, single-overhead cam V-12, which had a displacement 1995cc in the 166 Barchetta. It was rated at 140 horsepower
A necessity at night, a light for the number 22.
Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni, designed the 166 Barchetta shape at Touring. It’s often said AC Cars copied this design for its Ace, a shape later inherited by Shelby Cobras.