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FERRARI 166 MM - 2009 GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED

The Ferrari 166 MM has been under the spotlight in recent months as the 60th anniversary of Ferrari's first at the Le Mans 24 Hours has been honoured, so it was entirely appropriate that this winning machine was represented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this month.

Distinctive and evocative to the tifosi, the 166 MM is one of the most famous and lauded machines to ever come out of Maranello. At Goodwood earlier this month the single 166 MM in attendance was appropriately entered in Class 24: Legends of Le Mans - Celebrating 60 Years of Post-War Racing at Le Mans where it was oldest entrant - the example at the Festival having been built in 1950 - in the company of more than twenty cars that have made their mark on the famous endurance race.

The first of Maranello’s nine overall Le Mans 24 Hour race victories was delivered by the the 166 MM, sixty years ago in 1949, the car being driven by Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon. In addition to the nine overall wins at Le Mans that were clocked up between 1949 and 1965 (the last thanks to Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory in the 250 LM), Ferrari has also taken numerous class victories in the French race, the most recent of which was delivered just last month by the F430 GT of the Houston, Texas-based Risi Competizione team. This year's 77th edition of the oldest and most prestigious endurance race was also started by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, who was invited by the ACO to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first overall victory by a car from Maranello, together with the French Prime Minister François Fillon and ACO President Jean Claude Plassart.

At Goodwood the Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta was entered in Class 24: Legends of Le Mans - Celebrating 60 Years of Post-War Racing at Le Mans and was driven up the hill by Sally Mason-Styrron. A 2.3-litre V12 engined example it had started life in 1950 as a 2.0-litre car driven by Maglioli, Bracco and Villoresi and raced to seventh place in the Targa Florio and fourth in the Mille Miglia that year. Sixty year ago, 1949, was to be an astounding year for the 166 as similar models swept up the world's big sports car races, claiming victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, Spa 24 Hours and in the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio (it had also won both of the Italian classics the previous year).