1950 Ferrari 166 / 195 Inter Cabriolet by Vignale
Delivered new to Giovanni Vaccari of Milan as a Tipo 166 with 2L Colombo V-12, chassis 0051S was clothed by the artisans of Carrozzeria Vignale to a smart coupé design by the great Giovanni Michellotti. Registered MI 161860, she appears in this form in Antoine Prunet’s reference work Ferrari Legend – The Road Cars.
Historically significant as Ferrari’s first car for road use, less than 40 Tipo 166 Inter chassis were made. As became Ferrari’s formula for decades to come, sale to the public followed racing success - in 1949 a Tipo 166 captured victory at the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Shortly after delivery, Vaccari arranged for a host of upgrades. As marked on the factory build sheet, 0051S returned to Ferrari and received a more powerful 2,340cc triple-carburettor V-12. Destined for life as an open car, she returned to Vignale and emerged as an attractive one-off cabriolet in dark blue.
Exported to Switzerland in September 1951, she went to the USA in the early sixties, and from 1970 spent 35 years in continuous ownership with Otto Roy Thomas Bowden, a prominent attorney of Jacksonville Florida. A former FBI agent who served in the FBI Foreign Service through the Second World War, Bowden owned many great Ferraris over the years.
In 2007-2008, 0051S enjoyed a total restoration in the hands of noted French Ferrari collector and dealer Jean Guikas, then was sold on to Switzerland. More recently, she was again restored in 2018 by Ferrari specialist Antonio Costantini of Switzerland.
Superbly presented, the period factory upgrades of this Tipo 166 Inter to 195S specification make her a unique and powerful machine.
