A 1950 Ferrari 160MM once owned be renowned coachbuilder Nuncio Bertone is poised to become one of the stars of Gooding & Co’s Pebble Beach auction, which takes place on 20-21 August.
The car began life as a Touring-bodied Barchetta, in which guise it was campaigned by Bertone at the Mille Miglia in both 1950 and 1951. The following year chassis 0046 carried then-owner Emilio Giletti to victory in the Italian Sports Car Championship’s two-litre class.
By 1953 the car had been bought by Milanese driver Luigi Bosisio, who shipped the Ferrari to Zagato to have it transformed into a closer Berlinetta. It was entered into that year’s Mille Miglia before being exported to the United States towards the middle of the decade.
The Ferrari is one of the most original of its type thanks to being placed into storage in 1967, and is expected to fetch between $6-8m.
Despite it’s big price tag, the 166MM is likely to be eclipsed by one of the first short-wheelbase Competition 250GTs built, which has been tipped to achieve as much as $18m.
The 1960 example was raced at Le Mans by Ed Hugus and Augie Pabst as part of that year’s NART entry, eventually finishing seventh overall, two places behind the sister car driven by George Arents and Alan Connell Jr.
The alloy-bodied Scaglietti racer boasts matching-numbers engine and gearbox and Ferrari Classiche certification following an extensive restoration at the hands of marque specialist GTO Engineering, with whom it has been maintained since.
An even greater sum could be achieved by a 1959 Ferrari 250GT lwb California Spider Competition, which could top the magical $20m barrier. One of one nine-alloy-bodied examples, it has an outstanding race history, including placing fifth at the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring.
In addition to its successes on the track, the Ferrari also picked up a Platinum Award and Competition Cup at the Cavallino Classic in 2011.
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