![Driving this rare, classic Ferrari 166MM at Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex Classic & Sports Car – 1948’s game changers: Ferrari 166MM](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2023-07/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%201948%E2%80%99s%20game%20changers%20%E2%80%93%20Ferrari%20166MM%20%E2%80%93%2002.png?itok=wDOnwdAB)
75 years ago, the motoring world changed for ever as a clutch of iconic vehicles made their debuts on a wave of post-war optimism. Here we look at the Ferrari 166MM…
“Stop fussing around changing up at 4000rpm, let it rev to six,” encourages owner Clive Beecham.
“You can’t truly appreciate it without using the revs.”
Such trust in one of the most famous early Ferraris is surprising, but he’s right: only then does the performance really open up.
![The classic Ferrari 166MM has a 2-litre V12 engine Classic & Sports Car – 1948’s game changers: Ferrari 166MM](/sites/default/files/2023-07/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%201948%E2%80%99s%20game%20changers%20%E2%80%93%20Ferrari%20166MM%20%E2%80%93%2010.png)
The glorious 2-litre V12 engine dominates the Ferrari 166MM’s character
The way the 2-litre V12 pulls through its advanced five-speed ’box, accompanied by a glorious thoroughbred rasp from ingegnere Gioacchino Colombo’s racing heart, is wonderful now, but 75 years ago when the 166MM barchetta was launched, it must have been a revelation.
Against the post-war trend for torquey, large-capacity engines such as its Talbot-Lago rival, the first Maranello production model heralded a new age of responsive, high-revving lightweights.
The 140bhp 2-litre quickly proved it could match killer pace with dependable reliability in the greatest sports car challenges with Luigi Chinetti and Clemente Biondetti.
![This Ferrari 166MM classic car has two-tone paint Classic & Sports Car – 1948’s game changers: Ferrari 166MM](/sites/default/files/2023-07/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%201948%E2%80%99s%20game%20changers%20%E2%80%93%20Ferrari%20166MM%20%E2%80%93%2005.png)
This unique Ferrari’s two-tone metallic blue/green paint is a striking combination