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11/08/2016 12:12 pm
A fair while ago I asked if anyone could help me with information on the Ferrari 166MM especially as it had set records on the Linas-Montlhery track near Paris.
Information was conflicting, and only one picture was found of "the car".
In fact there were two!
On 3rd November 1948 Chinetti used the Ferrari 166 Spider Corsa with chassis 016i at Montlh?ry setting three International records:
100 miles : 214.076 kph (126.415 mph)
200 km : 203.378 kph (126.373 mph)
1 hour : 202.800 kph (126.014 mph)
photo no longer available
(this picture is of the car restored to represent it as raced in the USA when owned by Briggs Cunningham)
On 1st October 1950 Luigi Chinetti had another go.
This time he used the Ferrari 166MM with chassis 0052M.
He was able to lap at 138 mph, but tyre problems caused him to stop the attempt and withdraw.!
I am still looking for a Ferrari 166SC in 1:43 that can be modified to look like the record car (similar to the one used in the GP du Salon also at Montlh?ry on 10th October 1948. Apparently they removed the fenders but left the struts in place, and this is also how they went for the records on 3rd November).
For the 1950 record attempts car, only MG Model had done this car in 1:43 in 1997. However, they mentioned the 1948 records as having been achieved by the 1950 car.
This is the MG Model 1:43 166MM:
photo no longer available
photo no longer available
(sorry for the somehat unsharp pictures but I borrowed these from a finished auction online and they are not mine)
Two problems for me with that one: I do not like the finish of the model, AND it is nearly impossible to find.
So, I asked my friend to have a go, and this is the result:
photo no longer available
photo no longer available
photo no longer available
photo no longer available
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I am happy with this, and even if the car did not set any records, I still like it very much.
This is actually the same car that was found a couple of years ago in Arizona.
Sorry about the long-winded post!
12/08/2016 3:23 am
Tron made an 166SC, it's on ebay from a Dutch seller......
12/08/2016 5:55 am
Thanks Ben, I have seen that. My problem is that although it was stated that the 166SC used to set the records was the same as driven without fenders in the GP du Salon, I have only found one source and no confirmation of this as yet.
It would seem to me that they had time enough to remove those struts and possibly the headlights as well, but I am still looking for a confirmation either through a contemporary photograph or an article with the same description that is not a case of "copy and paste" (although no computers at the time, journalists did do this already without the pasting bit)!
12/08/2016 6:56 am
This SC whas the only fenderless SC I could find in my archive
photo no longer available
12/08/2016 7:34 am
Correct, the 1948 GP du Salon version! As said I do not want to go on information from just one source when spending money on a model (and this model is not cheap).
For the time being I am going with this information, but I will stay on the lookout for the confirmation I want before going for the model.
There are, fortunately, enough other models of which I am certain of the info to spend my money on.