The first two Ferrari cars lost to time, but New Zealanders Amanda and Philip still have, and regularly drive, a third example. This 1948 Ferrari 166 Inter, a right-hand drive coupe, is the oldest Ferrari racing car in the world. Couple found the car While reading Border by gaslight in Alaska, that is an amazing story of its own. Decades later and The car has been completely restored. And fun travel across New Zealand, captured on Ferrari’s YouTube channel.
In 1948, this car was certainly a sight to behold on the road, but more than that, its 2-liter V12 engine was perhaps the most beautiful sound ever produced by a car at the time. It only made around 90 horsepower, but considering the new rival Porsche was only making 35 horsepower, this was a powerful machine. The 166 Inter was powered by the engine and could reach speeds of around 100 miles per hour.
While most of the 37 Ferrari 166 Inters built were Carrozzeria Touring bodywork, this one was dressed in Stabilimenti Farina livery. Farina is famous for being the styling house that launched the careers of Battista Farina, Pietro Frua, Felice Mario Boano, Giovanni Michelotti and Alfredo Vignale. Very important hands shaped the curves of this spectacular car.
It sounds like Amanda and Philip have had a very interesting life, and this extremely early Ferrari is testament to that. I appreciate that although the car was originally painted a dark color, they chose to restore it in a light silvery blue, which is a favorite of Pininfarina. I don’t like silver cars, but these guys built it the way they wanted it.
“It needs to be cherished as a historical artifact, but it also needs to be used. It’s part of the cars for me. I like to listen to them. I like to listen.”
What’s the point of having a car if you’re not going to drive the damn thing? I agree with you, Amanda. Thanks for preserving a piece of history, but thanks for driving it too.
