Rare 1949 Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta Joins Arizona Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Dec 10th 2010 at 8:01AM

Last month we told you that a rare rare 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder formerly owned by both baseball great Reggie Jackson and famed daredevil Evel Knieval is expected to fetch up to $1 million at RM Auctions' annual Automobiles of Arizona sale in Phoenix on January 20 – 21. Now another even more desirable Ferrari has been added to the sale, a rare, race-bred 1949 166 MM Touring Barchetta (above) estimated at $1.9 million – $2.4 million. The incredible car, chassis number 0024 M, was originally commissioned for the 1949 Paris Motor Show and has been owned and raced by many notable individuals in the Ferrari world. The 10th built of just 25 examples featuring striking "Barchetta" coachwork from Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, the car made its racing debut at the 1950 Mar del Plata in Argentina, finishing an impressive first overall. It was also raced in period in the 1951 Mille Miglia, where it was driven by well-known female driver Aprile Palmer, who purchased the car shortly afterward; more recently the car underwent a complete and total restoration.