Ferrari 166 Mille Miglia-Themed Meeting/Presentation Table

The 166 Mille Miglia (‘MM’)Touring Barchetta was the car that, in 1949, delivered Ferrari an extraordinary year that truly put Enzo Ferrari’s young company on the map and he commented many years later 'I don’t remember anything more worthy than that first victory'. Designed and built by Ferrari using the legendary 2-litre Gioacchino Colombo V12, cradled in Aurelio Lampredi's inspired tubular chassis and clothed by Carrozzeria Touring, the car was launched at the Turin Motor Show in September 1948. Between 1948 and 1953, just 47 examples of the 166 MM were constructed and sold. In April 1949, two Ferrari 166 MM Barchettas scored a breathtaking 1-2 in the Mille Miglia and then at the Le Mans 24 Hours, Luigi Chinetti put in a world class performance to win this legendary race, Ferrari’s first victory at Le Sarthe. Within weeks, Chinetti was in the lead yet again, winning the Spa 24 Hours in the 166 MM. Three world-class victories from Enzo Ferrari’s still-new sports car firm announced the Prancing Horse had truly arrived. Scuderia Ferrari was in the ascendancy and it was the 166 MM that had propelled it to the top.

This table and its associated 166 MM-related automobilia are undoubtedly unique, a word often misused but not in this case. Its current owner previously had it on display in his office for a number of years but it has recently come from dry storage. The upper glass tier is 2,400mm long x 950mm wide with each bevelled and toughened glass pane being approximately 15mm thick. It's complemented by four Charles Eames-style chairs, a set of four Ferrari coffee mugs and coasters and a selection of period ‘Souvenir’ official Ferrari playing cards together with several specialist journals, including Cavallino and Ferrari Owners Club GB magazine articles which feature the fabulous Ferrari 166 MM.

On the lower glass tier is a full display set of 12 numbered pistons for the Ferrari 166 V12 manufactured by JE Pistons of Ohio and complete with all ring sets (authenticated). There is an original 1949 Italian sales brochure for the car, a very rare copy of the 1949 special race edition of the L’Eclaireur regional newspaper detailing all the 24 Heures du Mans race entrants, two beautiful 1:18th scale models of the car, a rare copy of L’Idee Ferrari in English featuring the colour sketches for the 166 MM together with a Jeroboam (four bottles) of 1949 Moet et Chandon Champagne.