Ferrari 166 Inter

Manufacturer	Ferrari
Production	1949–1951 37 produced
Successor	Ferrari 195 Inter Ferrari 212 Inter
Class	Grand tourer
Body style(s)	Coupe Barchetta
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	2.0 L Colombo V12

See also the 166 S sports car and 166 F2 Formula 2 racing car

The Ferrari 166 Inter was Ferrari's first true grand tourer. An evolution of the 125 S and 166 S racing cars, it was a sports car for the street with coachbuilt bodies. The Inter name commemorated the victories claimed in 166 S models by Scuderia Inter. 37 166 Inters were built from 1948 through 1950. Note that both the 166 S and 166 F2 were also called "166 Inter" in the days that they were actively raced by the Scuderia of the same name.

The 166 Inter shared its Aurelio Lampredi-designed tube frame and double wishbone/live axle suspension and 2420 mm wheelbase with the 125 S and 166 S. It was replaced by the 2.3 L 195 Inter and 2.6 L 212 Inter in 1950 and 1951.

The first Ferrari GT car debuted at the Paris Motor Show on October 6, 1949. It was an elegant coupe designed by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan who had previously created a number of similar Ferrari and Alfa Romeo models. Customer sales soon started, with 166 Inter models becoming the first Ferraris to be purchased for the road rather than the race track. As was typical at the time, a bare chassis was delivered to the coachbuilder of the customer's choice. Many used Touring, but Ghia's one-off Boano coupe was more daring. Others were built by Stabilimenti Farina, who penned a Cisitalia 202-like coupe. Vignale also joined in, presaging their designs of the coming decade, and two cabriolets created by Pinin Farina and Bertone foreshadowed those companies' later involvement with Ferrari.

The 1.5 L Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine from the 166 S remained, as did its chassis, though the wheelbase would eventually grow from 2420 mm (95 in) to 2500 mm (98 in). Output was 110 to 140 hp (82 to 104 kW) at 6,000 rpm with one to three carburettors.

[edit] References

• Ascerbi, Leonardo (2006). Ferrari: A Complete Guide to All Models. Motorbooks. ISBN 0-7603-2550-2. 
• Buckley, Martin & Rees, Chris (1998). World Encyclopedia of Cars. London: Anness Publishing. ISBN 1-84038-083-7. 

v • d • e Ferrari road car timeline, 1947–1968 — next »
Type	1940s			1950s										1960s
	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Sports	125 S	166 S		195 S	212 Exp	225 S	250 MM	250 Monza		250 GT Tour de France			250 GT SWB			250 GTO			250 LM
	159 S					250 S	250 Export
GT			166 Inter	195 Inter	212 Inter		250 Europa	250 GT Europa		250 GT Boano	250 GT Ellena	250 GT Coupe PF				250 GT Lusso			330 GTC			365 GTC
																		275 GTB		275 GTB/4
Spider/Cabriolet											250 GT							275 GTS		330 GTS	365 GTS
2+2													250 GT/E				330 GT				365 GT
America					340 America		375 America/MM			410 Superamerica				400 Superamerica				500 Superfast		365 California