It was the Tipo 166, introduced in 1948 as a replacement for the 125 S, that first established Enzo Ferrari’s Modenese workshop as a premier manufacturer of racing cars. Powered by a two-liter, Colombo-designed V-12 engine, the 166 charted a course of development that would come to define the look, sound, and inimitable character of Ferrari automobiles.

While the earliest 166 Sports and Spider Corsas proved successful in their own right, it was the 166 Mille Miglia – or MM – that dominated sports car racing in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Remarkably, the Ferrari 166 MM remains the only model car to have won all three of the great European sports car races – the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Targa Florio, and the 1000 Miglia.

During these formative years, Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, led by Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni, was the coachbuilder most closely associated with the Ferrari marque. Touring’s exquisite designs and innovative Superleggera construction were ideally suited to the sporting nature of the 166 MM chassis. Their nowiconic 166 MM Barchetta, or “Little Boat,” emerged from this collaboration, culminating in the development of a more purposeful competition car: the 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans.

Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1950, the Berlinetta Le Mans was a striking fastback whose lineage echoed the streamlined Alfa Romeo racing cars of the late 1930s. Sculpted from lightweight aluminum, it was, in essence, a more aerodynamically effective Barchetta. Designed for high-speed endurance racing, the Berlinetta featured a spartan, purposeful cockpit and was equipped with distinctive competition details including leather bonnet straps, large external fuel fillers, and Plexiglas windows. In both concept and execution, these early 166 MM Berlinettas laid the foundation for Ferrari’s enduring line of dual-purpose grand touring competition cars.

The Ferrari presented here, chassis 0060 M, is the last of just five 166 MM chassis originally fitted with Touring’s Berlinetta Le Mans coachwork. Each of these cars was unique in its individual details, and this example, bearing body no. 3461, was originally finished in a striking light blue livery. The coachwork fashioned for 0060 M is distinguished by its horizontal hood vents, rear quarter window louvers, faired-in fog lamps, and a one-off dashboard layout featuring elegant, white-faced Jaeger instruments centrally placed.

Constructed in May and June 1950, chassis 0060 M made its public debut at the prestigious Paris Motor Show, held October 5-12, 1950. Positioned prominently on Luigi Chinetti’s stand – flanked by a 166 MM Barchetta and a 166 Inter Cabriolet by Stabilimenti Farina – the blue Berlinetta drew significant attention from the motoring elite.

The exhibition proved successful, and in November 1950, chassis 0060 M was sold to the legendary American sportsman, race team owner, and car collector Briggs Cunningham. Having been impressed by the performance of similar berlinettas at Le Mans earlier that year, Cunningham planned to campaign the car in the US for the upcoming season. To ensure it would be competitive, he had Ferrari upgrade 0060 M to full 195 S specification, as confirmed by handwritten notations on the factory build sheets.

Developed in 1950 to contend with larger-displacement rivals, the 195 S was essentially a more powerful 2.3-liter version of the same Colombo V-12, achieved by increasing the bore by 5 mm. Topped by three Weber carburetors and a cold air box, the 195 S engine produced approximately 170 bhp at 7,000 rpm – a substantial performance gain over the standard 166 MM specification. In addition to increased power, the 195 S offered greater torque at lower rpm, making it more tractable.

The upgraded Berlinetta arrived in New York in December 1950, becoming the first closed Ferrari competition car delivered to the US. Shortly thereafter, it was registered in Connecticut and driven to Florida for its competitive debut in the Sam Collier Memorial Sebring Six-Hour Grand Prix of Endurance on December 30, 1950.

The official program for this inaugural Sebring race lists Cunningham as the entrant of three cars: an Aston Martin DB2, a Nash-Healey, and 0060 M. With his formidable record in endurance racing, Luigi Chinetti was given the wheel of the 2.3-liter Ferrari. He delivered a brilliant performance, finishing 7th Overall and 1st in Class, with an average speed of 60.7 mph.

Following Sebring, the Ferrari was invited to compete in a prestigious sports car race in Buenos Aires, hosted by Argentine president General Juan Perón. In this highly publicized event, Jim Kimberly drove 0060 M to a respectable 7th Place finish.

After its South American outing, 0060 M returned to the US, where it competed in two of the country’s premier racing events: Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen.

In 1952, Cunningham sold the Ferrari to Peter and Robert Yung of Long Island, New York, who entered it in the 4th Annual Bridgehampton Cup that May. The following month, the Yung brothers traded 0060 M to Luigi Chinetti in exchange for a Vignale-bodied 225 S. Chinetti subsequently sold the Ferrari to Henry N. Manney III.

A name well known among automotive enthusiasts, Manney would later become Road & Track magazine’s European editor and one of the most beloved voices in motor sports journalism. In 1952, at just 30 years old, he proudly displayed the Ferrari at the Oakland International Sports Car Show, where it earned First Place in the “Cars Over $6,000” class.

Later that year, Manney traded the Ferrari to John Fox, US agent for Cooper Cars, in exchange for a new Aston Martin DB2 and a Cooper-Norton. Fox entered 0060 M in its final race, the San Diego Cup at Torrey Pines. The Berlinetta then passed among various Southern California owners before being acquired in 1965 by Lawrence A. Knaack of Long Grove, Illinois. Mr. Knaack exhibited the Ferrari at the 1971 FCA National Meeting in Chicago. Later, under the ownership of noted Chicago collector Donald Dethlefsen, 0060 M won Best of Show honors at the 1977 FCA National Meeting in Watkins Glen. In 1981, the car was acquired by respected Australian collector and vintage racer Peter Briggs. During his long-term stewardship, 0060 M demonstrated its versatility by participating in such important international events as the 1000 Miglia, Goodwood Festival of Speed, and Louis Vuitton Bagatelle Concours d’Elegance.

In 1998, the Touring Berlinetta returned to the US and was soon acquired by Ferrari enthusiast Bruce Lustman of Colorado. Determined to restore the car to its original splendor, Mr. Lustman commissioned a concours-quality restoration by Mike Dopudja of MPH in Englewood, Colorado. Completed over two years, the restoration culminated in a Second in Class award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in August 2001.

Over the past decade, 0060 M has remained in two distinguished US collections and has made only limited public appearances. Faithfully presented today in its original Sebring livery, it is a jewel of a sports car. Importantly, the stamped components – chassis, engine, gearbox, and rear end – all correspond with the factory build sheets. Most recently, the car has been maintained by the esteemed Paul Russell and Company, renowned worldwide for their excellence in Ferrari restoration. Under the consignor’s care, the Berlinetta performed flawlessly on a private rally from Palm Beach to Naples, Florida.

Well known and highly regarded among marque experts, 0060 M is a historically significant, even-serial-number Ferrari that embodies every quality desired in a collectible automobile: aesthetic beauty, mechanical sophistication, rarity, an outstanding period racing history, and exceptional provenance. With most 166 MMs now firmly held in major collections, the offering of this Touring Berlinetta Le Mans at auction represents a significant opportunity to acquire one of Ferrari’s first great competition cars.