Thanks to Ferrari's success in racing and the post-war economic flourishing, customers began to express their willingness to have a Ferrari 166 suitable for use as a street vehicle. The victories in the “Mille Miglia” competitions and in the “Coppa Inter Europa” in Monza provided the names for the 166 MM and 166 Inter models.
The luxurious version “Mille Miglia” was impractical (two-seater without a roof). It turned out that they yearned for the 166 Inter (005 S) version presented in 1948 at the Turin Motor Show. The first 166 created for this audience appeared at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1949. With the new 011 S chassis, this version was convertible.
While the Ferrari 166 “Mille Miglia” racing used a chassis with lower wheelbase, the Inter Street model stretched this distance to 2,420 mm for better riding comfort. This welded steel tubular chassis with independent front suspension remained virtually the same on the following models: 195 and 212.
The first Ferrari 166 floats by Touring were like the 005 S model presented in 1948 at the Turin Motor Show. With four side windows and a huge front grill as distinctive features, the look was still plump. Very curvilinear appearance with fenders and domed roof, its classic design was as refined as it was outdated.
Touring manufactured ten berlinetta models based on 166 Inter. They differed because they were more authentically sporty, with a more stylized design and somewhat more harmonious proportions for the current auto sport criteria.
Other body designs for the 166 tried to further emphasize the sporty character. The version designed by Stabilimenti Farina looked more like a racing car, as they worked hard to make the car lower and its waist line mark a slender figure.
Subsequently, the bodybuilder Vignale designed two more alternatives for the 166. The first was a coupe excellently conceived with modern and sporty criteria. Only two units were built. Then appeared the Berlinetta model, of which six copies were produced.
Finally, after several redesigns and 37 manufactured specimens, Ferrari decided to present a successor vehicle for 1950. The same V12 engine was optimized and the engine was increased to 2,341 cm3. This made each cylinder 195 cm3, so the next Ferrari would be called 195 Inter. Later in 1951, with greater displacement in the V12, Ferrari presented its latest Inter model: the 212.
Power: 115 hp at 6.000 rpm
Acceleration 0 to 100 km/h: 10 s
Top speed: 170 km/h
Weight: 800 kg
© Adrián Blanco 2006 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
Ferrari 195
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