25.04.2004  The Galleria Ferrari in Maranello is paying tribute to the legendary coachbuilder Touring of Milan with a show of some of its most prestigious models

Running until the 2nd of next month, to concide with the fifth edition of the “Concours d’Elegance – Trophy Salvarola Terme”, the Galleria Ferrari in Maranello is paying tribute to the legendary coachbuilder, Touring of Milan, with a show of some of their most prestigious models.

The Trophy is organized together with the Ferrari Club Italia and the committee of tourist promotion of the Municipality of Sassuolo and ‘Terme della Salvarola’.

The Galleria Ferrari is displaying five significant Touring-bodied models, the 815 Auto Avio Costruzioni, the 166 MM Barchetta, the 166 MM Le Mans, the 166 Inter and the 166 Inter 2+2 Aerlux.

Founded by Gaetano Ponzoni and Felice Bianchi Anderloni in 1926 in Milan, the Touring Superleggera became soon one of the most prestigious body shops of the time. It worked on the most valuable chassis, as Maserati, and it obtained important successes in the “concourses d’elegance” and in the competitions.

The Auto Avio Costruzioni, type 815 of 1940, 8 cylinders, is in the reality the first car realized by Enzo Ferrari, after the long experience in Alfa Romeo. Just two Touring-bodied exemplars were produced. The one in the Galleria is the unique remaining example and is being shown in Maranello for the first time.

The 166 Inter of 1950 and the 166 Inter 2+2 Aerlux of 1948 are two beautiful Touring-bodied Ferraris that belong to the Galleria, two examples of the first road cars that contributed to create the notoriety of the Marque in the world.

The 166 MM Le Mans of 1949 belongs to a special series of Touring-bodied berlinettas based on the mechanicals of the 166 MM, while the 166 MM Barchetta of 1949, previously belonging to Gianni Agnelli, is an extraordinary exemplar of Touring-bodied Barchetta of the same model.

It was officially presented for the first time in 1949 at the Turin Motor Show. The name of the model was created in honour of the Ferrari success at the Le Mans competition the year before.