1953 Ferrari Tipo 166MM ; The Racers' Racer.(Brief Article)

Some call it the most beautiful Ferrari to ever perform in a Hollywood film.

The sleek lines of the 1953 Ferrari Tipo 166MM epitomize the notion of automotive beauty, especially when we see the red racer hurtling through the verdant countryside in the 1954 film The Racers. But this was not some replica made to look good through film sleight of hand; this is the genuine article.

It appears that chassis No. 0272M is one of two 166MMs whose bodies were designed by Ferrari in-house, and constructed by Carrozzeria Autodromo of Modena, Italy. Equipped with a single carburetor and a 7.5:1 compression ratio, the Tipo 166's 1995-cc V12 engine makes 90 hp. Here, in competition trim with 9.5:1 pistons and three Weber 36 IF4c carburetors, output jumps to 160 hp at 7200 rpm.

On March 21, 1953, Dr. Alberico Cacciari, Pinnazzo di Castelfranco, paid 2,750,000 Italian lire ($1,230) for this fast Ferrari. The sleek Spyder immediately began its racing career, as Enzo intended. Its second race was the 1953 Mille Miglia where it finished 56th overall and a very credible third in class. Cacciari's co-driver was R.H. Bill Mason, who today is best known for being the father of Nick Mason of Pink Floyd fame. For the rest of the year, Cacciari entered a string of races with such delicious-sounding names as Coppa Braccini, Saline-Volterra, Coppa d'Oro Siricusa and the Supercortemaggiore sports car race in Merano.

Thanks to the optimism of Hollywood writers, this 166MM was portrayed as the winner of the Mille Miglia in 1954. The car was shipped to Hollywood so Kirk Douglas and Cesar Romero could be filmed in it against a blue screen. Apparently, front-end makeovers were popular in Hollywood even back in the '50s. Such was the fate of No. 0272M, along with a tacked-on external exhaust for its movie role as a ``Spyder ...