Rare 1949 Ferrari goes up for auction

In terms of Ferrari lore, the 166 MM Touring Barchetta is Genesis. It's the first. It's the dawn of the Ferrari age.

After WWII, Enzo Ferrari setup shop under his own name. Now free of Alfa Romeo, Enzo needed to sell some cars in order to fund his racing ventures. And so, the 166 MM was born.

The bodywork was done by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, and power was supplied by a tiny 1.5 litre V12, designed by Gioacchino Columbo.

25 of these amazing cars were made, and the one up for auction is #10 which was commissioned for the 1949 Paris Motor Show.

Originally, the car wore the official Argentinean racing colours, yellow & blue. After the Paris show, the car was shipped to South America, where it promptly won the 1950 Mar del Plata. And, it went on to race in several other notable races of the period.

Chassis #0024 M has undergone an extensive restoration, and features all of its original equipment. It will be offered by RM Auctions at their January sale in Arizona.

Auction estimate for this car is $2 million (US).