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Enzo Ferrari had begun planning his new car during the war andin 1946 commissioned Gioacchino Colombo to design a smallcapacityV12 engine for it. The 1.5-litre Tipo 125 unit took itsdesignation from the capacity of an individual cylinder (125cc),thus instigating a system of nomenclature that would characteriseFerraris for many years to some. Ferrari’s Tipo 125 sports-racermade its competition debut in 1947 and by mid season had beenre-designated Tipo 159, its engine having been enlarged to 1.9litres. Later in the year the first Tipo 166 (2.0-litre) unit appeared.In race tune up to 150bhp was available - the Inter road car with itssingle twin-choke Weber carburettor produced 100bhp - which wastransmitted via a five-speed gearbox, an unusual feature in thosedays, even on a competition car. The twin-tube chassis employedtransverse leaf and double wishbone front suspension and a semiellipticallysprung live rear axle located by torsional stabilising bars.Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers were fitted all round.Before long Ferrari had become the dominant force in internationalsports car racing, 1949 proving to be a phenomenal year forthe Tipo 166, which claimed victory in three of the world’s mostprestigious events: the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Le Mans 24-Hour Race, a quite outstanding achievement.This car is one of fewer than 40 Tipo 166 Inters made. In keepingwith tradition, it was built with right-hand drive - it being deemedsafer to sit on the right when driving across the Alps, which at thattime were cursed with poor roads lacking in safety barriers. TheTipo 166 was bodied by several of Italy’s foremost carrozzeria,Vignale and Touring being responsible for the bulk of production.Chassis number ‘027S’ is clothed in the latter’s distinctiveSuperleggera coupé coachwork, its grace and elegance recallingthe lines of the immortal Barchetta.322 | Goodwood festival of speed