Rare And Beautiful
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,325 Major grins
As the old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To my mind's eye, this is one of the most beautiful cars ever produced....by anyone. It's a simple design, yet captivating, and the proportional aspects are as good as it gets.
The beauty part is, admittedly, subjective. What's not subjective is the rarity part. You're looking at a 1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta. It's one of the first models made by Enzo Ferrari after he set up production under his own name. This car is the second one made out of a production run of approximately 24. The stunning coachwork was by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan.
The car has a significant racing provenance behind it....greatly enhancing its value in the collector market....and still has a number of racing options on it. It was a prized part of the famous Harrah's Collection for years. It's probably valued at somewhere north of 5 million bucks.
The beauty part is, admittedly, subjective. What's not subjective is the rarity part. You're looking at a 1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta. It's one of the first models made by Enzo Ferrari after he set up production under his own name. This car is the second one made out of a production run of approximately 24. The stunning coachwork was by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan.
The car has a significant racing provenance behind it....greatly enhancing its value in the collector market....and still has a number of racing options on it. It was a prized part of the famous Harrah's Collection for years. It's probably valued at somewhere north of 5 million bucks.
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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One of these days I'll have to figure out what my "style" is..
So wonderful to see the Stunning and Rare cars from you again.
I've truly missed them, and this one is exceptional, love
the Color and all the Fine Details, and of Course the History
and story behind them.
Craig
Burleson, Texas
www.Dogdotsphotography.com
Thanks for the visit, Steve. Yea, March rolls around and brings a lot of activity. It's also about time I headed up to Savannah for a couple days of shooting.....want to get there before the brutal Summer heat gets to us.
Take care,
Tom
As usual, Craig, I value your visits and support tremendously.
Yes, I've been a little lax in posting car stuff. I'm about to make up for lost time, though, so buckle up, hunker down, and get ready for a wild ride through some fascinating cars and their history.
Be safe, my friend,
Tom
Well, Mary, I knew the wild side was there....I just had to come up with the right " bait " to draw it out.:D And if this car didn't do it.....well, there would have been no hope.
This Ferrari is deceptively small. Yet, when you see it in person, it strikes you like a huge clap of thunder. I've been blessed to have exposure to all sorts of exotic cars, both new and old, but a precious few have anywhere near the visual impact that this one does.
Let us see the new family member when you get a chance,
Tom
I often listen to a song named Red Barchetta, and always wondered, but never knew what it looked like - now I do in spades!
Thanks Tom!
The last one I'm aware of that sold went for a bit over $1.8 million. #10 of 25, Lusso with competition package, '49 Paris show car, matching number, documented international race history, Mille Miglia, etc. Awesome car.
Hi Eric,
For the sake of the story, let's assume that the song is about one of the very few 166MM Barchettas out there. And it may, in fact, be so. The word " barchetta " has a broad, more generic connotation to it in most cases, though.
If it was Italian, an open 2-seater, and made for racing, it could have been called a barchetta. In reality, the song could have been referring to a wide range of cars....as long as they conformed to those broad definitions. But, like I said, I'd prefer to think of this Ferrari as being the one.
BTW...not too far back, I ran a series on the Ferrari GTO. Several of those that were there at the show are certainly valued in the $30 million range...each one. You could walk right up to any of them.
Take care,
Tom
That's interesting. The car you describe and the one in the pictures share many features and documented racing history. The one I shot is billed as the 1949 Ferrari Salon car. The point is, they should be valued somewhere in the same ballpark. When did the one you refer to sell? I thought I saw one trade hands for something in excess of $4 million a while back. I could certainly be confused and thinking of an entirely different Ferrari model.
Thanks for commenting,
Tom
But then they would be spending the rest of the afternoon cleaning Moose drool off the fender...
http://www.moose135photography.com
It's sure great to hear from you, John.
When you're around these kind of cars as much as I am, I guess you can't help but get a little jaded to their glory. Let me tell you, though, when you can do a 360 degree turn-around and all you see are 8 or 9 Ferrari GTOs staring you in the face.....well, there ain't a man around who can witness that and not go to his knees.
Take care, buddy,
Tom
I believe it was 2011, so it's been a couple of years. They are definitely multi-million dollar cars, exact value is hard to define, all depends on what someone is willing to pay when one comes up for sale.
But, I'm kind of let down...
I thought with that title, I'd see my mug show up
Can you imagine that? I cut the boy a little slack for shooting some stinkin' fish and he takes that as being a license to go for the big enchilada.
Gotta watch these Texans and their big hats. I'm telling you, they get some kind of strange power from those things.
Ride safe, buddy,
Tom
When Eric mentioned the song I went and found it then continued the read about this car and the name given it. I found humor in the name as it is
quite literal and unexpected for such a class act.
Thanks for looking in, Michael. Give me a little more time and I'll make a car guy out of you yet.:D
Take care. I'm glad you've been more active lately with your photography. I can always depend on you for a few surprises.
Tom
Hi Ian,
It's always nice to have you drop by.
There's very little in car design these days that doesn't draw upon some element that was successfully employed in years gone by. I wish there was more originality shown, but government regulations and a fear of being too different have resulted in a generic look to most all cars today. Of the domestic manufacturers, Chrysler has, on occasion, been the most adventuresome in that regard.
Tom
Lauren Blackwell
www.redleashphoto.com
It's great to hear from you, Lauren.
Like you, I prefer the simplicity of design in these older cars. The aerodynamic aids designed into the new cars....particularly race cars....serve their purpose but they sure do result in some ungainly looking vehicles.
I'm still on the hunt for the truck....got several candidates but no deal worked out yet.
Take care,
Tom