Car Restoration Projects

A Ferrari 166 finds a loving home

This Ferrari 166 Inter was produced in only the second year of the factory’s existence and is the oldest road-going Ferrari in the world. Older models exist, but are in museums.

You’d expect to find such a gem in the exclusive atmosphere of cashed-up Europe or the USA, but this much-loved rarity is owned by two true Ferraristi, who brought it back to life and drive it still today – in rural New Zealand

The convoluted life story of this specimen – serial number 007-S – was revealed only after detailed research by the car’s current custodians, Amanda and Philip (‘Phips’), a retired couple, who “adopted the 166 into our family” some 30 years ago.

Hailing from the factory’s second year of existence, the 166’s aluminium head and block V12 engine produced high performance for its time: 110bhp at 6500rpm from a displacement of 2.0-litres. The moniker ‘166’ denoted Ferrari’s habit of type-listing its models by individual cylinder capacity: in this case, 166cc per cylinder.

This 007-S car was the first 166 to carry the ‘Inter’ name. In 1949 it was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show and that May raced at the Inter Europa Cup in Monza. Early serial numbers reserved ‘odd’ digits for road cars, with ‘even’ ones for racers; making 007-S the fourth Ferrari road car ever built.

Sadly, 001-S and 003-S are lost forever and 005-S sits in the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena, making this particular gem in rural New Zealand the oldest road-going Ferrari in the world.

By July 1949 the car had found its first owner, in Genoa, then a second, in Florence, in 1951. Its third custodian was Pietro Barbetti who, despite its ‘odd’ serial number, raced 007-S in the 1952 Mille Miglia, finishing 20th in class.

In 1953 Henry Bartecchi, a US Army captain stationed in Italy, acquired the 166, with which he had both success and misfortune, including a month in hospital after a hillclimbing crash.

Repairs took their toll on the notchback body by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. So, when 007-S crossed the Atlantic in 1954 to reside with Bob McKinsey, this wealthy American lawyer had the body separated from the chassis, with the aim of completing repairs. But the project stalled and the body sat forlornly in a field for almost two years until Thomas Wiggins came along in 1956.

Wiggins made the tough decision to ditch the Touring body, because it was in a terrible state. It took him a further 15 years before he found a suitable shell: a coupé body that was one of only five made for Ferrari by Stabilimenti Farina. (This Turin coach-building company was founded by Giovanni Farina, whose brother, Battista, established the renowned Pininfarina company.

This Farina body had been salvaged from a 166 chassis that had fallen upon hard times in the United States and needed careful restoration. The sheer scale of this endeavour resulted in the project stalling again – for 23 long years.

In 1994 Wiggins finally abandoned his driving dream and that’s when Amanda comes into the story.

Amanda and ‘Phips’ already owned two 1966 Ferraris – a 330 GT and a 330 GTC – when they answered a magazine ad for Wiggins’ 166 Inter, shortly after relocating to New Zealand from Alaska.

Six months later, a rolling chassis with an engine and separate body shell arrived, along with five timber crates filled with parts. Amanda and Phips called in a specialist restoration workshop which confirmed that most of the original engine components were useable.

The restoration was finally completed in 1997, when the couple realised a long-held dream of taking the car back to its birthplace. An airline sponsored the 166’s transport to Rome, from where Amanda and Phips drove all the way to Emilia-Romagna where their car featured prominently in Maranello’s half-century celebrations.

Since then, they’ve covered more than 50,000 kilometres in their beloved 166 Inter and remain as passionate about it today as when it first arrived all those years ago.

“We’re not precious about driving her,” Amanda said. “We’ve never worried too much about showing the car at events, because we like to share the car with people by driving it.”

The 166 has taken part in hillclimb events all over New Zealand and, even at its advanced age, remains highly useable.

Nestled in its large Alaskan-style timber garage located in a picturesque, verdant landscape, this resplendent 166 Inter is testament to the dedication shown by Amanda and Phips, two true Ferraristi, whose affection for 007-S has preserved a piece of irreplaceable motoring history for future generations to enjoy and admire.