VIN: the works / Scuderia Inter / Dudley Folland Ferrari 125 Sport / 159 Sport / 166 Spyder Corsa chassis 01 C / 010 I
History of chassis 01 C / 010 I
Chassis 01 C, later re-numbered 010 I, was the first Ferrari built.
Originally completed to 125 Sport trim with fully enveloped Spyder coachwork by Peiretti, 01 C was present at Scuderia Ferrari’s debut event as a manufacturer in its own right: the Circuito di Piacenza street race on May 11th 1947. Prior to this, 01 C had departed Maranello for its inaugural test bereft of bodywork on March 12th.
The other 125 Sport (chassis 02 C, which had a skimpy cycle-winged body) was also on hand at Piacenzo, but did not race owing to a disagreement between driver Giuseppe Farina and Enzo Ferrari. Meanwhile, 01 C was allocated to Franco Cortese who fought back to lead after a slow start but retired three laps from the end when his petrol pump seized.
Two weeks later, 01 C ran solo at the Rome Grand Prix where Cortese took the marque’s first victory. The same car and driver combination then recorded another first place finish at the Circuito delle Terme di Vercelli the following weekend.
01 C went on to contest another four races in its original configuration between June and August: Cortese failed to finish the Mille Miglia, but then picked up second place at the Circuito di Parma in mid July. Ferdinando Righetti subsequently dove the car to third at the Circuito delle Cascine a week later, and then Tazio Nuvolari posted a DNF at the Livorno Grand Prix in late August.
For its final outing of 1947, 01 C was fitted with an enlarged 159 engine; it formed part of a three-car entry for the Modena Grand Prix (along with 02 C and a new car numbered 002 C), but failed to start after Righetti crashed during practice.
In anticipation of the 1948 season, Ferrari created a further enlarged 166 engine and two new models dubbed the 166 Sport and 166 Spyder Corsa. Chassis 01 C was rebuilt to 166 Spyder Corsa trim with new cycle winged bodywork and re-numbered 010 I.
It was one of ten cars that ran in 166 Spyder Corsa trim that year and was sold to Scuderia Inter, the racing equipe of Parisian aristocrat, Prince Igor Troubetskoy, and Milanese industrialist and nobleman, Count Bruno Sterzi.
In addition to 010 I, Scuderia Inter also acquired a second 166 Spyder Corsa (chassis 006 I) along with a 166 Sport (chassis 001 S).
1948 saw both Sterzi and Troubetskoy take the wheel of 010 I. Their best finishes were second at the Apertura Grand Prix and eighth at the Circuito di Garda respectively. However, on occasion 010 I also ran under a Scuderia Ferrari entry for factory driver Raymond Sommer who collected a brace of third place finishes at the Roussillon Grand Prix and Grand Prix des Nations in Geneva.
Bruno Sterzi thendid one race in chassis 010 I during 1949 (at the season-opening Giro di Sicilia where alongside Enzo Monaro the car failed to finish). By this time Troubetskoy had retired from racing following an accident while driving 010 I at the Albi Grand Prix back in August of ‘48 and Scuderia Inter had officially been dissolved.
Bruno Sterzi moved up to a Ferrari 166 C single seater for the remainder of 1949 and 010 I was ultimately sold to accomplished Welsh sportsman and gentleman driver, Dudley Folland.
During the 1948 season, Folland had been impressed with the performance of Luigi Chinetti’s 166 Spyder Corsa at the Spa 24 Hour and Montlhery 12 Hour races. Folland arranged for John Wyer to travel to Modena where 010 I was tested.
As Folland did not want to pay the substantial import duty that would have been owed to HM Revenue & Customs, 010 I was brought into Britain on a temporary basis and £4000 in cash was paid to a Ferrari representative at a London hotel.
010 I was delivered to Monaco Motors & Engineering run by Wyer and George Abecassis who maintained the car. A pair of Welsh dragons were painted down each flank and Dudley Folland went on to have a very successful season with this, the first Ferrari ever brought to the UK.
Notable results included a win in the Lavant Cup at Goodwood, third in the Wakefield Trophy at Curragh, fourth in the Coupe des Petites Cylindrees F2 race at Reims and fifth at the Circuit des Remparts in Angouleme. 010 I’s year ended with John Wyer driving it to second in class at the Weston-Super-Mare Speed Trials on October 8th.
Upon the insistence of HM Revenue & Customs that Folland pay substantial import taxes on 010 I if he planned to keep it, the car was reluctantly sent back to Ferrari at the end of the ‘49 season and sold.
Quite what happened to 010 I after that is unclear although by 1970 it was in the custody of collector Anthony Bamford and had at some stage been re-bodied as a Coupe.
Since then it has been returned to its 1947 configuration.
Notable History
125 Sport
Scuderia Ferrari
11/05/1947 Circuito di Piacenza (F. Cortese) DNF (#128)
25/05/1947 Rome GP, Caracalla (F. Cortese) 1st oa, 1st S1.5 class (#56)
01/06/1947 Circuito delle Terme di Vercelli (F. Cortese) 1st oa, 1st S1.1+ class (#22)
22/06/1947 Mille Miglia (F. Cortese / A. Marchetti) DNF (#219)
13/07/1947 Circuito di Parma (F. Cortese) 2nd oa, 2nd S1.5 class (#78)
20/07/1947 Circuito delle Cascine, Florence (F. Righetti) 3rd oa, 3rd S1.1+ class (#106)
24/08/1947 Livorno GP, Montenero (T. Nuvolari) DNF (#70)
Fitted with 159 Sport engine
28/09/1947 Circuito di Modena (F. Righetti) DNS crash in practice (#16T)
Rebuilt to 166 Spyder Corsa specification and re-numbered 010 I
Sold to Count Igor Troubetskoy & Count Bruno Sterzi (Scuderia Inter)
25/04/1948 F2 GP Roussillon (R. Sommer) 3rd oa (#8)
02/05/1948 F1 GP des Nations, Geneva (R. Sommer) 3rd oa (#2)
09/05/1948 F2 GP Apertura, Vercelli (B. Sterzi) 2nd (#178)
16/05/1948 F1 GP Monaco (I. Troubetskoy) DNF (#36)
30/05/1948 F2 GP Stockholm (R. Sommer) DNF (#2)
04/07/1948 F1 GP Switzerland, Bremgarten (I. Troubetskoy) 9th oa (#42)
18/07/1948 F2 Coupe des Petites Cylindrees, Reims (I. Troubetskoy) DNF (#42)
29/08/1948 F1 Albi GP (I. Troubetskoy) DNF (#48)
26/09/1948 F2 Firenze GP (I. Troubetskoy) DNF (#46)
24/10/1948 F1 Circuito di Garda (I. Troubetskoy) 8th oa (#22)
20/03/1949 Giro di Sicilia (B. Sterzi / E. Monari) DNF (#346)
03/1949 sold to Dudley Folland, Swansea
18/04/1949 Lavant Cup, Goodwood (D. Folland) 1st oa (#21) Dudley Folland
28/04/1949 Jersey Road Race, St. Helier (G. Watson) DNS (#??)
25/05/1949 Manx Cup, Douglas (D. Folland) DNF (#19)
12/06/1949 Circuit des Remparts, Angouleme (D. Folland) 5th oa (#6) Dudley Folland
21/06/1949 Circuit du Lac F2, Aix-les-Bains (D. Folland) DNF (#30) Dudley Folland
17/07/1949 Coupe des Petites Cylindrees F2, Reims (D. Folland) 4th oa (#12) Dudley Folland
27/08/1949 Blandford Trophy (D. Folland) DNF (#28) Dudley Folland
17/09/1949 Madgwick Cup, Goodwood (D. Folland) 6th oa (#71) Dudley Folland
10/09/1949 Wakefield Trophy, Curragh (D. Folland) 3rd oa (#??)
08/10/1949 Weston-Super-Mare Speed Trials (J. Wyer) 2nd Class 4 (#80)
Returned to Ferrari
Later re-bodied as a Coupe
c. 1970 sold to Antony Bamford
Subsequently returned to 1947 configuration
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ferrari - https://www.ferrari.com & unattributed
