1948 Ferrari 166 Inter Spyder Corsa

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 12, 2012

The Ferrari 166 Inter was among the first models produced by the company. This particular example was the ninth Ferrari built – of all models (the sixth 166). It is an extremely early car that is preceded mostly by competition cars. It has a coachbuilt body by Carrozzeria Fontana of Padua, which is near Venice. Only 37 of these cars were built.

The 166 Inter was a competitive model from the get-go, with this car winning the 1949 Italian Hill Climb Championship. Here is a brief (and not in any way complete) rundown of it’s competition history:

• 1948 Pescara Grand Prix – 2nd (with Count Bruno Sterzi)
• 1948 Coppo d’Oro – 9th (with Sterzi and Enzo Monari)
• 1949 Italian Hillclimb Championship – 1st (with Giovanni Bracco)
• 1949 Mille Miglia – unknown result (with Bracco and Umberto Maglioli)
• 1949 Grand Prix di San Remo – 6th (with Bracco)
• 1950 Targa Florio – abandoned (with Giannino Marzotto and Marco Crosara)
• 1950 Mille Miglia – 9th (with Count Vittorio Marzotto and Paolo Fontana)
• 1951 Grenzlandring – 2nd (with Franco Comotti)
• 1951 Grand Prix di Modena – 6th (with Frolian Gonzalez)
• 1955 Targa Florio – unknown result (with Francesco Matrullo)

This car was entered in many other races and hillclimbs with various other drivers. The body that is on the car now was introduced to the car in 1950 by the then-owners, the Marzottos. The ‘722’ on the door was first given to the car for the 1950 Mille Miglia, when it was driven by the car’s owner and the designer of the car’s body.

The engine had been swapped and upgraded over the years, but when the car was discovered in Rome in 1970, a 190 horsepower V-12 166 engine was pulled from an ex-Marzotto Ferrari Formula 2 car and installed when it was restored in 1977. It was restored again, with the final pieces being finished in 2012, including a “preservation” of the 1950 Fontana body.

This is a storied example of the early days of Ferrari. It’s fresh and eligible for just about any historic event you wish to partake in. The pre-sale estimate is €1.100.000 – €1.800.000 or $1,440,000-$2,350,000. For the complete catalog description, with a more in depth history, click here. And for more on RM in Monaco, click here.

Update: sold $1,307,950.