Touring Superleggera Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta History

When Enzo Ferrari needed a body for his new 166 MM chassis — a short-wheelbase racing car powered by a 2.0-litre Colombo V12 — he turned to Carrozzeria Touring. The result, unveiled at the 1948 Turin Motor Show, became one of the most celebrated shapes in automotive history. Touring applied their Superleggera method: hand-beaten aluminium over a steel-tube armature, achieving a body that was both featherlight and structurally sound.

The design's sweeping pontoon fenders, low hood, and abbreviated tail prompted Gianni Agnelli to describe it as resembling a small boat — un barchetta — a nickname that journalist Giovanni Canestrini popularised and that became a generic Italian automotive term for open-cockpit roadsters.

Approximately 25 Ferrari 166 MM Barchettas with Touring bodywork were built between 1948 and 1950. The car's racing record is extraordinary: a Touring-bodied 166 MM won both the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans (Ferrari's first Le Mans victory) and the 1949 Mille Miglia, establishing Ferrari's motorsport reputation in a single season.