This striking 1953 Ferrari-Abarth 166 MM connects two incredible craftsmen-Guiseppe Manera and Wayne Sparling-who, 50 years apart, molded metal alloys into a unique and marvelous creation.
And it connects two powerful men-Enzo Ferrari and Carlo Abarth-who helped shape the course of motorsport and the Italian automotive industry.
The artisan who first shaped this singular spyder, Guiseppe Manera, was asked to produce a lightweight, easily repaired body for a bare chassis 166 owned by Giulio Musitelli. The Italian driver campaigned the car for less than a year before it was shipped to South America for a season of racing. By then the Abarth body had started to come apart, so Musitelli sent the car to Scaglietti for a new spyder body. What happened to the nine Abarth panels so beautifully crafted by Manera were lost, presumably forever.
However, the art of panel beating is still being used to restore history to the present, and there are few in the world better than Wayne Sparling. Not only did he recreate the Abarth lines with the same tools employed by Manera, he oversaw the complete mechanical restoration of the car.
Ferrari s/n 0262M is to be sold this summer by RM Auctions at its event during the Monterey Historic Weekend and is expected to cause very spirited bidding. For more on this incredible car, and more great cars from the history of Abarth, log on to europeancarweb.com. -GNB