November 1st, 2002

From 1947 to 1954, Ferrari chassis were bodied by a wide variety of coachbuilders. Ghia, Vignale, Touring, Farina as well as PininFarina all created exciting and some not-so-exciting bodies for the new marque. Everyone, it seems, wanted to become another post-war success story, and the hammering of aluminum could be heard echoing throughout the Po valley.

Others who tried their hand included Abarth, Allemano, Bertone, Zagato, and outside of Italy, Ghia Aigle in Switzerland, and this unique 166 spyder by Oblin and Co., a small shop in Brussels. Originally bodied by Vignale in coupe form in early 1953, it was sold to a Jacques Herzet, who raced the car in nine events before being rebodied by Oblin in 1954. In that form, the little 166 MM logged in another 15 races and events through 1957.

Although somewhat ungainly, it’s representative of the era, when a wrecked car could be taken to a coachbuilder and be completely rebodied, at a reasonable cost. No unit frames here, just a sturdy steel chassis, tubular framework, soft aluminum and sheet metal screws.

Today, it is owned by Bob Selz, who had it completely restored by Bob Smith Coachworks in Gainesville, TX.