Guide: Ferrari 166 Sport
Background
Ferrari’s 1947 season proved an enormous success. Using the 125 Sport and 159 Sport, Scuderia Ferrari racked up six important victories culminating in a win for Raymond Sommer at the Turin Grand Prix.
For 1948, Ferrari used a further enlarged 166 version of the Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine.
The 166 type number was reference to the unitary displacement of each cylinder and marked this latest powerplant out as a full two-litre (whereas the 125 had been a 1.5 and the 159 was a 1.9).
Three different models would be raced with the 166 engine during the 1948 season: there was a single seat Formula 2 car (the 166 F2), a skimpy two-seater with detachable lights and cycle wings that could be configured for sports or monoposto events (the 166 Spyder Corsa) and a line of dual purpose Gran Turismos with fully enveloped bodywork (the 166 Sport).
A supercharged 1.5-litre V12 was also developed for use in Formula 1 and would make its debut at the Italian Grand Prix in September.
The 1948 calendar saw a major expansion of motor racing activity for Scuderia Ferrari. Additionally, cars were now being supplied to customers which led to much greater exposure for the firm.
The 166 Sport began a new line of Ferrari production and GT racing cars with odd-numbered VINs. Purebred competition prototypes were now allocated even-numbered VINs.
Ferrari built three 166 Sports.
The first two (001 S and 003 S) were assembled to contest Italy’s premier endurance races like the Giro di Sicilia and Mille Miglia.
The third (005 S) was a road car.
Chassis
All three 166 Sports used a tubular steel chassis fabricated by Gilco Autotelai in MIlan.
To free up more cockpit space, the wheelbase was extended to 2620mm (compared to 2420mm for the Spyder Corsa). Otherwise it followed the same basic approach as the rest of the Ferrari range.
Front suspension was via independent double wishbones and a transverse leaf spring.
At the back was a live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and an anti-roll bar.
Hydraulic Houdaille shock absorbers were fitted all round.
Ferrari employed a hydraulic single circuit brake system with drums to each corner.
Centre-lock wheels were supplied by Rudge Whitworth in England. They measured 5.5 x 15-inches. Both cast alloy and wire rims were variously employed.
Compared to the 166 Spyder Corsa, track was widened by 10mm at the front and reduced by 40mm at the rear.
An 80-litre fuel tank was located at the rear.
Engine & Gearbox
Ferrari’s Gioacchino Colombo-designed 60° V12 featured a light alloy block and head with hemispherical combustion chambers and a single chain-driven overhead camshaft for each bank of cylinders.
Ignition was by a single spark plug per cylinder and two Marelli magnetos. Wet-sump lubrication was used.
To achieve a two-litre capacity, the 159 Sport engine was bored from 59mm to 60mm and stroked from 58mm to 58.8mm. This 92cc gain gave an overall displacement of 1995cc.
With a compression ratio of 8.5:1 and three Weber 32 DCF carburettors, peak output was 140bhp at 7000rpm.
In road trim, Ferrari employed a more conservative 7.5:1 compression ratio and fitted a single carburettor. Equipped as such, the two-litre engine developed 110bhp at 6000rpm.
Transmission was via Ferrari’s own five-speed manual gearbox and a single dry-plate clutch.
Bodywork / Interior: 001 S & 003 S
The first two 166 Sports received coachwork by Allemano of Turin.
001 S was completed as a Spyder and 003 S as a Berlinetta.
At first glance, the two cars appeared broadly similar but there were actually many detail differences.
Most notably, the Spyder had a rounded primary nose intake with a six-bar grille and two banks of vents behind conventional front wheelarches. By contrast, the Berlinetta’s nose had a squarer opening with an eight-bar grille and a single bank of vents behind front wheelarches that were topped with eyebrows.
Instead of the simple aeroscreens affixed to 001 S, 003 S came with a proper three-window cockpit, a split front windscreen and a brace of wipers.
As these two cars were destined for racing, Allemano kept the designs simple.
Nothing was over-styled; they were minimalist fully enveloped shells designed to cut through the air as cleanly as possible.
Both cars incorporated a full complement of road lighting.
Inside, they were spartanly equipped with little in the way of creature comforts.
Bodywork / Interior: 005 S
By contrast, chassis 005 S was bodied by Touring of Milan.
This was a five window Coupe designed for road use. It had heavily contoured fenders, plenty of chrome and full width bumpers.
One particularly interesting feature was a large Aerlux sunroof that flooded the interior with natural light.
Similar bodies were subsequently fitted to a number of 166 Inters.
005 S’s interior was upholstered in a mix of blue fabric and grey leather. The dash and door caps were body coloured (light metallic blue) and considerable attention was paid to build quality as this car was destined to be displayed at the Turin Motor Show in September 1948.
Not only was 005 S the first Ferrari designed purely for road use, it was also the first to come with rear seats.
Production
The Allemano Spyder (001 S) was completed in November 1947. After use as a factory test and development machine, it was refreshed and sold to Count Bruno Sterzi of Milan who, together with Prince Igor Troubetzkoy, was the patron of Scuderia Inter.
In addition to 001 S, Scuderia Inter purchased a pair of 166 Spyder Corsas that were campaigned throughout 1948.
Sterzi also bought chassis 005 S.
As a result of Sterzi and Troubetzkoy’s support at this very early stage, Enzo Ferrari decided to name his first line of road cars Inter in the team’s honour.
003 S was retained by Scuderia Ferrari.
1948 Giro di Sicilia
Scuderia Inter entered 001 S for 1948’s first major race, the Giro di Sicilia, which took place over April 3rd and 4th.
For this single lap 1080km dash around the isle of Sicily, 001 S was driven by Troubetzkoy and Clemente Biondetti who was out on loan from Scuderia Ferrari.
Sterzi was present in one of the Inter team 166 Spyder Corsas but crashed in practice and took no part in the race.
Other Ferraris that participated included a Spyder Corsa from the factory squad and another from the Besana brothers. Chief opposition came from the works Maserati and Cisitalia teams.
The event started and finished in Palermo and had a high attrition rate with only 32 of 86 cars finishing.
Two of those that fell by the wayside were the highly fancied A6 GCS Maseratis of Luigi Villoresi / Guerino Bertocchi (engine) and Alberto Ascari (crash).
Another accident claimed the works 166 Spyder Corsa of Franco Cortese / Ferdinando Righetti.
Instead, it was Biondetti and Troubetzkoy that emerged victorious in 001 S. They finished with a time of 12 hours and ten minutes at an average speed of 88.7kmh.
16 minutes back was the works Cisitalia 202 D of Piero Taruffi / Domenico Rabbia. The sister car of Adolfo Macchieraldo / Antonio Savio was a further four minutes behind.
1948 Mille Miglia
Later in April, the 166 Sport Berlinetta was completed (003 S). It then took part in the Mille Milgia as a works entry (May 1st and 2nd).
Four other Ferraris were on hand for the event: three 166 Spyder Corsas and the Giro-winning 166 Sport Spyder (001 S).
The two 166 Sports and one of the Spyder Corsas were entered by Scuderia Ferrari. The other brace of Spyder Corsas ran under Scuderia Inter and Besana brothers entries. Tazio Nuvolari was a late call up for the event and Enzo Ferrari secured him a drive in the Scuderia Inter Spyder Corsa.
The 166 Sport Berlinetta was piloted by Clemente Biondetti and Giuseppe Navone.
The Giro-winning 166 Sport Spyder was driven by Bruno Sterzi and Ferdinando Righetti.
Also present for the 1833km sprint from Brescia to Rome and back again was a four-car team from Maserati plus a brace of works Cisitalias and hordes of well-equipped privateers.
The race got underway in foul conditions.
The early lead switched between Ascari’s Maserati and the Ferraris of Cortese and Nuvolari.
As the race wore on, Nuvolari managed to establish a good lead.
When Cortese and Ascari were forced into retirement, Nuvolari’s battered and bruised Spyder Corsa seemed headed for victory.
However, his brakes failed with only a couple of hundred kilometres to go and Biondetti’s works 166 Sport, which had been around half an hour behind, inherited a lead it retained until the end.
Only a third of the 188 starters were classified at the finish.
All four of the other Ferraris went out of the race with one problem or another including the Giro-winning 001 S of Sterzi / Righetti.
The lack of top flight finishers was illustrated by Biondetti and Navone’s enormous winning margin. They crossed the line one hour and 28 minutes ahead of the second placed Fiat 1100 Sport of Alberto Comirato / Lia Comirato Dumas.
A further 29 minutes back in third was another Fiat 1100 Special (that of Francesco Apruzzi / Angelo Apruzzi).
Biondetti and Navone completed the course at an average speed of 121kmh.
Finishing in sixth spot at the 1948 Mille Miglia was Giampiero Bianchetti who had a troubled run in his Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Spider.
Bianchetti was extremely impressed with the winning 166 Sport Berlinetta and, soon afterwards, he concluded a deal to purchase the car from Enzo Ferrari.
1948 Bolzano-Mendola Hillclimb
Bianchetti then entered 003 S for the Bolzano–Mendola Hillclimb on July 4th.
Also present was Bruno Sterzi in 001 S.
The 25km Dolomite pass, not far from the Austrian border, was one of Italy’s premier mountain climbs and always attracted an excellent entry.
In 1948, the event was won by the works Maserati A6 GCS of Giovanni Bracco who set a time of 16 minutes and 37 seconds.
The 166 Sports finished second (Bianchetti) and third (Sterzi).
1948 Coppa d’Oro del Dolomiti
A week later was the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti, a 303km single lap through the picturesque Dolomite region of Italy.
1948 was the second running of the event and, although the date clashed with the Spa 24 Hours (won by Aston Martin), the works Ferrari and Maserati teams were both in attendance.
In total, four Ferraris were on hand: Bianchetti’s 166 Sport Berlinetta (003 S) and a trio of 166 Spyder Corsas (one each from Scuderia Ferrari, Scuderia Inter and the Besana brothers).
Bianchetti’s was the only Ferrari not to finish. He and navigator Giuseppe Navone were forced to retire as the result of a minor accident.
For the second weekend in a row, victory fell to a works Maserati. Giovanni Bracco took the win at an average speed of 82.5kmh.
Bracco finished just under four minutes ahead of his team-mate, Luigi Villoresi. The best-placed Ferrari was that of Besana brothers Soave and Gabriele who took third and finished another minute down the road.
The works 166 Spyder Corsa of Biondetti / Genazzani was eighth and the Scuderia Inter entry of Sterzi / Monari ninth.
1948 Coppa Gallenga, Vernicino-Rocco di Papa Hillclimb
On November 14th, both Bianchetti and Sterzi entered their 166 Sports for the Vernicino-Rocco di Papa Hillclimb located about 25km south east of Rome.
Competing for the Coppa Gallenga, the two privateers were joined by a pair of works 166 Spyder Corsas, one of which was driven by Giovanni Bracco who had caught the eye of Enzo Ferrari thanks to several impressive performances earlier in the year.
Bracco repaid the faith put in him to win the event with a time of eight minutes 13 seconds over the 11.75km route. Roberto Vallone was second in the other works Ferrari while Bruno Sterzi came home third in 001 S.
Unfortunately, Bianchetti failed to finish after he crashed 003 S head on into the mountain side.
Close Season
The damaged 003 S spent the close season being repaired during which time its colour was changed from red to grey. At the same time, Bianchetti also had 003 S equipped with new front and rear bumpers.
1949 Season
In its new state, Bianchetti raced 003 S on three occasions during the 1949 season.
He failed to finish on both the Giro di Sicilia and Mille Miglia before picking up second overall at the Monza Coppa Inter Europe in late May.
Also present for this inaugural running of the Coppa Inter Europa was chassis 005 S (the Touring-bodied 166 Sport road car owned by Bruno Sterzi). Another Ferrari in attendance was one of the new 166 Inters that 005 S had inspired (driven by Franco Cornacchia).
68 starters lined up for the three hour race with victory expected to fall to one of the much-fancied Ferraris. In the end, they took first, second and third.
Sterzi claimed the win in 005 S with Bianchetti second in 003 S. Cornacchia took third in his 166 Inter (chassis 009 S).
Subsequent Histories
Bruno Sterzi retained 005 S until April 1951 at which point he sold to it a private buyer from Rome.
His other 166 Sport (001 S, which had not raced at all in 1949) was sold to Baron Stefano La Motta from Siciliy who did three events in the car before selling it fellow Palermo resident, Domenico Tramontana. Tramontana raced 001 S until 1952 by which point it had been re-bodied in the style of a cycle-winged 166 Spyder Corsa.
As for the Berlinetta (003 S), Giampiero Bianchetti did a couple more events in 1950 and also lent it to Giovanni Bracco for two Portuguese races. The car was later involved in an accident after which it was repaired by Carrozzeria Colli and retired from competition.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ferrari - https://www.ferrari.com
