1948 Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa - 004 C - Offered at Broad Arrow

Glickenhaus bought 002 at auction, so yes.

 

Why is it a white book instead of a red book?

 

I'm pretty surprised to learn that these had 5-speed transmissions.

Nearly on par with the thought of V-12's with only 2.0 and 1.5 liter displacement.

 

It’s never been a typical road car so the white book is probably for a significant period of its historic interest and competition history. Marcel or others would know for sure.

 

Must have been modified (bodywork and grille?) outside of the factory but raced as modified and the car certified with the White Book to be in the modified raced configuration. That is if they have followed their qualifying criteria rules. There could be some qualifications in the White Book too.

 

From Broad Arrow's description:

Classiche White Book certified with its original body, chassis, 2.0-liter V12, and five-speed racing gearbox; documented by marque expert Marcel Massini

Chassis No 004 C
Engine No. 004 C
Gearbox No. 2

The Early Days of Scuderia Ferrari

The early history of Ferrari is as well-known as any automotive manufacturer, but the incredible circumstances surrounding its creation before, during, and shortly after World War II certainly bear repeating. After winning many races driving for Alfa Romeo, Enzo Ferrari worked his way through the ranks as racing ream manager and formed Scuderia Ferrari. Alfa later bought out the majority of his team, retaining Ferrari as an adviser. By 1939 he left Alfa Romeo, later creating Auto Avio Costruzioni in Maranello; yet he was bound by a four-year agreement where he could not compete with his former employer. His new factory was partially bombed twice during the war, yet il Commendatore never lost the drive to build GT sport and race cars under his own name. Italy, to this day, considers motorsport as part of the national culture, woven into the societal fabric. In the post-war period this importance was amplified, aiding in the country's technological development so ravaged by conflict.

Just a few months after the war in the summer of 1945, Ferrari met with Gioacchino Colombo, requesting his assistance in designing an all-new 1.5-liter V12 engine, later known as the Tipo 125, to power his sports and racing cars. His design, with assistance from Giuseppe Busso and Luigi Bazzi, is called both the “first true Ferrari engine” and a “daring and innovative choice” featuring an oversquare layout and a lower center of gravity than their long-stroke peers. While a V12 Ferrari may sound commonplace today, very few of their late-1940s competitors fielded such an engine. Ferrari noted that he was impressed by the Delage Grand Prix cars, V12 Packards, and, like many, the siren call of a high-revving 12-cylinder. No doubt Ferrari himself recalled the pre-war Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz multi-cylinder engines that dominated the 1930s Grand Prix scene during his time at Alfa Romeo. To further assert his dominance over Ferrari's powertrain department, Colombo designed a brand-new racing gearbox with five-speeds, nearly unheard of at the time, to suit the high revving engine.

While the new Ferrari may have been defined by its powerplant—it was, after all, called the 125 S on account of its 125 cc individual cylinder displacement—it would be foolhardy to assume the new Ferrari won six of 13 races in 1947 based on power alone. Ferrari is famous for saying that “I should like to put something new into my cars every morning.” As a factory-owned racing prototype the 125 S was the realization of that sentiment with just two produced. In short order, Colombo's V12 was enlarged to 1,903 cc in an effort to get closer to the 2.0-liter Formula Two regulations. The bore and stroke increase netted Ferrari the 1947 Turin Grand Prix with the newly dubbed Ferrari 159 S to close out the 1947 race season. Ferrari's designers and engineers led by Luigi Bazzi worked hard over the winter months into 1948 enlarging the Tipo 159 to its ultimate capacity under the 2.0-liter rules. The 159's stroke was extended to 58.8 mm and with 1 mm added to the bore resulting in a 1,995 cc total displacement with 166.25 cc allocated to each cylinder. Naturally, the new crop of road and racing Ferraris with this engine was dubbed a 166 with it powering an exciting array of barchettas, coupes, monopostos, and spyders attracting Maranello's first customers in 1948.

166 Spyder Corsa Chassis Number 004 C

Of those models, the 166 Spyder Corsa was aimed at the most sporting crowd, those interested in both circuit racing their new Ferrari, yet maintaining the ability to drive it in road races and on the street. The Besana brothers (Soave and Gabriele) of Lombardy were perhaps the ideal first Ferrari customers. Both aristocratic with means from their family's confectionary concern, the two brothers dove headfirst into international post-war racing scene, each purchasing a Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa for the 1948 racing season. The dual-use Spyder Corsas they purchased (chassis number 004 C for Soave and 002 C for Gabriele) featured Carrozzeria Ansaloni bodywork with motorcycle-type mudguard fenders and simple forward lighting for sports car races with the ability to remove these features for Formula Two competition. The lightweight chassis constructed of oval steel tubing with diagonal cross bracing was suspended by semi-elliptic leaf springs (transverse in the front)—all considered de rigueur for the time as were the drum brakes and two-ear knockoff Borrani wire wheels.

As is well known, Gabriele acquired 166 SC chassis number 002 C upon agreement and immediately sent it to South America to compete in the Temporada races. Soave's Spyder Corsa, chassis number 004 C, was prepared during this time with dynamometer testing on 12 February 1948 and delivery on 17 March of that year, just in time to start the Italian racing season. Numerous histories—including its Classiche record and that of highly regarded Ferrari historian Marcel Massini—have Besana and chassis 004 C registered with Milano plates “MI 113253” entering and finishing 6th in the 1948 Targa Florio following the Giro di Sicilia route. It was an incredible result for Besana and Sterzi his brand-new 166 chassis 004 C, yet must be noted that some believe that, while 004 C was on the island of Sicily that spring, it did not compete, with Besana a co-driver in Bruno Sterzi's in 166 SC.

Buoyed by a Ferrari win, his own successful 6th place finish in the Targa, and his brother's return from South America, Soave entered 004 C in the 1948 Mille Miglia. More than 180 cars lined up at the start of the 15th Mille on the second of May and among the entrants were two 3.0-liter Alfa Romeos, four new 2.0-liter Maseratis, and five Ferrari 166s including Spyder Corsa chassis 004 C raced by the Besana brothers with start number 297. While Soave's 166 SC may have finished with a DNF it was certainly a bright day in Maranello with the paring of Biondetti and Navone finishing on the top step in their Ferrari 166 C. Soave Besana kept his foot to the floor in 1948 racing 004 C as a Formula Two in both the Gran Premo di Bari and GP di Mantova, later capturing a 3rd overall with his brother in the Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti Further races included Grand Prix de Reims, the Coppa Città di Acerbo, Gran Premio di Napoli, and in September of that year he competed in the GP di Firenze to round out his season. That winter, 004 C likely returned to Maranello and received light body updates including a longer, lower air scoop that tapered back to the cowl to feed the triple Weber 30 DCF carburetors, a slightly larger new four-bar front grille with mesh screen replacing the previous eight-slat version, shorter front fenders, and lots of additional louvers to cool Colombo's Tipo 166 V12.

Once again chassis 004 C began the 1949 season entered in the Mille Miglia yet, this time, it was driven by Franco Mosters and Tino Bianchi. While it recorded a DNF in the event at the hands of Mosters with start number 616, it is believed that Soave Besana still retained the car on account of his subsequent entry in the Varese-Brinzio Hillclimb. Mosters would pilot the car in at least two additional Formula Two races that season with the Monza event being its first appearance with the now famous “egg crate” front grille, a powerful identifying characteristic of the Ferrari to this day. Interestingly, both Besana brothers parted ways with their 166 Spyder Corsas that year. In July chassis 004 C was acquired by S.r.l E. Vallarani & Co. based in Milan. While the car may have been owned through an Italian company, the car was piloted by Frenchman Victor Polledry who was most often at the wheel in Montlhéry but also Chimay, Picardie, and Les Sables-d'Olonne. Race results have Polledry competing in over a dozen races in France during Vallarani's ownership spanning 1949 to 1957.

166 Spyder Corsa 004 C Post-Competition

It is believed the car remained in France in those years and, likely on account of its location, it was sold that September to Gaston Garino owner of Sport Auto garage just outside of Paris in Puteaux. As noted in a Cavallino article on the car from 2006, after his purchase “Garino only drove the Ferrari around the block; then it sat in the back of a garage.” The car remained as acquired until 1964 when it was spotted by Bart Loyens, a noted Bugatti specialist. Loyens had been contacted months before by American Stan Nowak who was in search of an early Ferrari, in particular one of the eight cycle-fendered 166 Spyder Corsas. Nowak quoted the response from Loyens upon finding the car in the September 1966 issue of Road & Track, “Yesterday I was in Paris and one of my relations showed me pictures of a car...” Of course, that car was the Besana brothers' former 1948 Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa chassis number 004 C! Nowak noted that “the price was rather high but there was no turning back and I bought it.” The car arrived in fine mechanical form, yet, according to Nowak, the body was in need of attention. Nowak was insistent on high-quality work, yet the “estimates were staggering” and sought someone to acquire the car while Nowak supervised the restoration and researched its history. That someone was Henry “Austin” Clark, Jr., the owner of the Long Island Automotive Museum in Southhampton, New York.

Clark Family Ownership 1965 - 2015

Henry Austin Clark acquired 004 C from Nowak on 23 July 1965 for $3,800 with a combined invoice for the car and restoration costs, cheekily adding an additional $500 to the price as the “World's Oldest Ferrari.” Perhaps most famously, the Ferrari was featured on that cover of Road & Track in front of Clark's museum, likely just out of restoration. Nowak's article describes the restorative efforts and the car itself a mere 18 years after it was constructed. With great foresight he notes that after removing the paint and underlying filler “the artisans at Del's Auto Body took over to make a rough, distorted, dented aluminum, body shell into smooth, straight pieces that looked as though they had been stamped out by a giant press... No filler! Just hundreds of hours of painstaking work.” The 60-spoke knock-off wire wheels were returned to Borrani in Milan to be completely restored. He notes that the passenger seat was missing and recreated based on historical imagery and the driver's seat. Nowak, once again, noted the car was in remarkable mechanical condition. So original in fact, it retains numerous 14 mm Cavallino Rampante stamped bolts throughout the chassis. Once the restoration was complete, it picked up another superlative—the oldest vintage Ferrari to be shown at a concours competition. Sergio Scaglietti, and even Enzo Ferrari himself, took a personal interest in the car and its restoration. In 1971 Clark received an offer for the car: $25,000, a few dollars more than a new 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe.

Instead of selling the car as its value and notoriety increased, Austin transferred the ownership of chassis number 004 C to his son James H. Clark in February 1973. While the car may have led a relatively quiet life early in Clark's ownership, by the early 2000s the car firmly stepped into the spotlight. In 2003 it captured the Enzo Ferrari Memorial Award for Best of Show and a Platinum Award at the 40th annual Ferrari Club of America National Meet where it was photographed sharing the Sebring racetrack with its modern Ferrari supercar siblings. 2004 was a busy year! It was shown by Clark at the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic winning a Platinum Award the Coppa per 12 Cilindri. That August it was entered in the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance finishing on the podium in a very competitive Ferrari Open Class! A few days later, chassis number 004 C made its way around Laguna Seca as part of FCA National Meet, once again showing those with the newest Ferraris the sights and sounds of the world's first customer competition Ferrari. In 2006 Clark's Spyder Corsa took center stage at the Cavallino Classic once again winning the winner of the Coppa per 12 Cilindri and a Platinum Award with the gathered Tifosi lining up for photos with the car. Furthermore, the car has been featured on the cover of both The Prancing Horse and Cavallino with in-depth features from both publications.

166 Spyder Corsa 004 C Today

After just over a half-century with the Clark family, it joined one of the United States' most revered Ferrari collections in 2015 admired for not only defining the roots of the world's greatest manufacturer of sports and racing cars but for its unbelievable originality. As far back at the late 1940s when Enzo Ferrari was finally able to put his name to a company that engineered and produced race cars of his own design, he believed that those cars should reflect the ideals of a small team dedicated to his request that, “Were my wishes in this respect to be indulged, there would be no production of standard models at all...” 1948 Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa chassis number 004 C is the pure expression of those wishes. It was, and still is, a dual-use race and road car and more importantly a landmark reference example that stretches as far back to the earliest days of aristocratic post-war racing drivers and the first of the high-revving V12s to bear Enzo Ferrari's name.

After 77 years, Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa chassis number 004 C retains its original chassis, Ansaloni body, Tipo 166 V12 engine, Colombo designed-five-speed racing gearbox, as confirmed by the accompanying Ferrari Classiche Certification—a virtually unheard of “run of the board” for a competition car, let alone one of the oldest Ferraris ever produced. Never before offered for public sale, 004 C represents a unique opportunity to acquire the oldest, most complete Ferrari. With an origin story like no other, Classiche Certification, and a known history from day one, 166 Spyder Corsa 004C is, without a doubt, one of the most significant Ferraris emanating from the very beginnings of their long and storied history.

 

Who has owned it since 2015, when the Clark family parted with it?

 

Leslie Wexner, New Albany, OH/USA.

Marcel Massini

 

I know almost nothing about the market for these early, early models. I would have thought such an early Ferrari in supposedly such original state would be worth much more than BAG's €5.5 - 7.5m EUR estimate. I'm interested in thoughts/counterpoints from people who know these cars much better than I do.

 

Between 2012-2019 it would have been worth maybe another few million, again in 2022 it would have been worth a fair bit more. Since Monterey 2024 and the 20-30% price drop we are where Broad Arrows estimate it. FWIW, the early Spider Corsa, while historically important, never won much and with around 90bhp in original form weren't particularly quick, they also lack the late 1948 166MM Touring Spiders good looks. So here we are.

 

I understand that the previous owner / consignor paid US$ 15 M when he bought it from Clark in September 2015.
Since then the market has changed quite a bit. Most people simply don't get that.

Marcel Massini

 

Most early Ferraris are important historically, but pretty abysmal cars to actually drive.

 

Dyke Ridgley
Truth teller.
Dream killer.

 

Sounds like right up my alley* and that’s why I always hope their prices/values would crash, hard, so that I could get a chance to enjoy driving/owning one (or two), although I would prefer some road/touring model over competition/race car.

* Just yesterday I drove a ‘32 Plymouth Roadster (my beloved Hot Rod), a ‘36 Cord Westchester (with slightly modified engine spec) and a ‘60 Chrysler 300F back-to-back and the Plymouth, as always, gave me most driving pleasures, but that sense could be biased …

 

They call him "The Dream KILLA"

 

I wonder just how primitive they were by design, due to the poor state of roads in post war Italy and how primitive they were because Ferrari neither knew no better nor could afford a chassis design genius. One also wonders how they compare to the contemporary Maserati A6GCS/48 or the pre war Alfa 8C2900B. I do recall a description of Nuvolari driving the Alfa Romeo Tipo B in series two IFS form during the '35 German GP and I believe it was Jenks who said he was less driving the car than controlling a never ending skid with both front wheels appearing to be facing every direction, all at once.

 

I am interested in knowing whether they drive badly period or if they drive badly compared to something else. As in, are early Ferrari's worse cars compared to their sportscar contemporaries, or compared to other 1960's Ferraris, for instance. Because the second comparison is sort of unfair, even though as a person hypothetically spending millions on a car you would be making it anyway.

 

I do not claim to have extensive experience with lots of early Ferraris, but I do have some with both Ferrari and Maserati. Without a doubt, the 1950s Maserati race cars handle better and are easier to drive fast. They are better balanced and easier to drive at the limit. The Maserati's tend to be best when drifted as they are so well balanced. The Ferrari's are primarily understeering cars, and will just "push" off the road unless driven the what then was called the "grand prix" style of tossing them into the corner and then catching the oversteer with the throttle. I do believe in the early years, Ferrari placed all the effort on the engines and was comfortable in using very basic chassis and suspensions from the late 1930s. Certainly Alfa Romeo had independent rear suspension by that time for some cars, and both Maserati and Alfa had adopted De Dion rear suspension in their race cars (it is still amazingly competent even today). A lot of Ferraris victories in the early years were primarily due to more power and better reliability than their rivals.

 

What was the turning point? 250 series?

 

In my opinion, the 250 SWB and then the 250 GTO made great improvements in the GT cars, and the front engined sports racing cars never equaled Maserati in chassis and suspension.

 

Aside from anything car based, roads came a long way in the later 1920s and 1930s with the Nazis especially spending a gazillion on autobahns connecting all the main cities. Race circuits too with Le Mans only becoming properly sealed during the 1930s with several different surfaces trialed and various forms of tarmacadam tried and rejected on the way. This was largely undone by allied bombing of Italy, northern France and Germany and certainly the early post war races favoured the rugged over anything with particularly fine handling. Also Ferraris were built for both racing at Monza, Le Mans or any of the better street circuits and the Mille Miglia and numerous hillclimbs on dirt, gravel and worse. I was just writing something about the 1948 Targa Florio, held over a 1000km loop around the island because WW2 bombing made inland roads impassable and wonder just how barbaric the surface(s) may have been. The Mille Miglia had to take a 100km longer route because of bridges being bombed and so on.

As for Ferrari chassis tech, the 125S chassis with some reinforcement seemed to have survived with little change until 1955 when the 250 Europa was replaced by the 250 Europa GT on a shorter wheelbase with IFS and this new chassis was also launched on the 410S in late '55 for the soon to be canceled Carrera Panamericana. Further chassis revisions were to be seen when Jano had time in '56 to design the new chassis first seen in the 290S and the lighter 500TR. The SWB and follow up GTO saw the rear axle placed in such a way that IRS wasn't needed BUT FIA laws prevented any major changes. It was the 1960 250 Testa Rossa variant, the TRi60 which finally saw De Dion independent rear suspension used in anything other than a F1 and it wasn't until '64 that the 275GTB saw Ferrari launch a road car with IFS!!!!!

 

I drove a 166 Berlinetta once, its owner kindly let me do a few laps at Road America in 1997 during the Brian Redman vintage racing weekend; the lunch time parade not hot laps....it was an interesting experience but yes not enjoyable to drive. I can't recall what it was specifically, clutch or steering or gearbox but not pleasant so I did not push to do an article on that one. I won't say which one it was out of respect for the owner.

 

Just a typo. Should read IRS.

 

I recall Jon Shirley wrote of his 340/375MM Coupe that it had the unnerving tendency to suffer oil surge during high speed cornering so you would enter a corner and worry whether you could catch the slide. It generally did catch, thank god.