Ferrari 166 FL

Last updated
Ferrari 166 FL at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017 Ferrari 166 (35590267861).jpg
Ferrari 166 FL at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017

The Ferrari 166 FL was a single-seat open-wheel race car, designed, developed and built by Italian manufacturer and team, Scuderia Ferrari, 1949 to 1952. Only three cars were produced. The designation 166 refers to the (rounded) displacement of a single cylinder, which corresponded to the nomenclature of the company at the time. The abbreviation FL stands for Formula Libre , which is the type of category and racing series that the car competed in. Since the car was mainly developed for racing in South America, it was also known as the 166 C America. [1]

Contents

History

Ferrari 166 FL s/n 011F, here with the start no. 16 driven by Juan Manuel Fangio in 4th place at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix on 8 May 1950 at the Circuito Palermo Juan Manuel Fangio - El Grafico 1592.jpg
Ferrari 166 FL s/n 011F, here with the start no. 16 driven by Juan Manuel Fangio in 4th place at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix on 8 May 1950 at the Circuito Palermo

As race director at Alfa Romeo, Enzo Ferrari was successful in all major competitions. When he competed under his own name (and with his own vehicles) in 1947, he wanted to continue this success. To realize his ambitious plans, he had his then-chief designer, Gioacchino Colombo, design his own V12 engine, although Ferrari's experience with this type of engine was relatively limited. The aim was to equip the entire future Ferrari range of vehicles, including a sports racing car and a Grand Prix monoposto, with this engine. [2]

The Ferrari 166 FL was developed to take part in races in the "Formula Libre series", which was extremely popular in South America at the time and had a broad set of rules. When the 166 FL was introduced, the regulations for Formula 2 allowed a maximum displacement of 2 liters, the statutes of the new Formula One, which was to start in 1950, saw a maximum displacement of 4.5 liters for naturally aspirated engines, and 1.5 liters for supercharged engines.

For Formula Libre, Ferrari decided to prepare a car whose engine came from the 166 F2, i.e. with a displacement of 1995 cm³, and was designed for Formula 2, and this with the supercharger, from the 125 F1 (designed to take part in the Formula 1 championship was developed). In this way, a sufficiently powerful and reliable engine was created for this purpose.

Design

Engine

The Ferrari 166 FL had a longitudinally-mounted 60° V12 engine with a total displacement of 1995 cm³ and was supercharged with a Roots supercharger. The cylinder head and engine block were made of light alloy. Per cylinder bank, the engine had a single overhead camshaft, controlling two valves per cylinder. The mixture was prepared by three Weber carburetors of the type 40 DO3C, which were upstream of the compressor. The ignition was designed simply, the associated system had two magnets. The engine had dry-sump lubrication and a multi-plate clutch. [3]

Chassis and suspension

The chassis was made of tubular steel and had a monoposto body.

The front wheels were individually suspended on double wishbones with a transverse leaf spring. A rigid axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and an anti-roll bar was installed at the rear. Both suspensions had hydraulic Houdaille lever shock absorbers. The 166 FL had drum brakes on all four wheels. The manual transmission was designed for five gears plus reverse gear.

Performance

The engine's maximum output was 310 hp (231 kW) at 7000 rpm. With a weight of 740 kg, the FL 166 achieved a power-to-weight ratio of 0.42 hp/kg (0.19 hp/lb). The top speed of the 166 FL was 310 km/h (193 mph).

Racing history

Between 1949 and 1952, the Ferrari 166 FL took part in the “Temporada Argentina” racing series in South America, which was part of the Formula Libre series of events. Here he proved very successful despite stiff competition from Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Mercedes. [4]

At the Temporada Argentina the most important victories were: [5]

Chassis #011F

The 166 FL with chassis no. 011F (1st row, far left) at a Ferrari presentation at the Nurburgring in 2005 Ferrari Formula 1 lineup at the Nurburgring.jpg
The 166 FL with chassis no. 011F (1st row, far left) at a Ferrari presentation at the Nürburgring in 2005

The Ferrari 166 with chassis no. 011F was originally built in 1949 for use in Formula 2. Entered that year by Scuderia Ferrari, with Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel in the Monza Grand Prix on 26 June, the 166 took a debut win. The car was then purchased (with the support of the Argentine government) by Juan Manuel Fangio and used. The vehicle was repainted in the Argentine racing and national colors of blue with a yellow engine cover. Later that season the car was fitted with a Roots supercharger and entered under the designation FL in several Formula Libre races in South America by Fangio and Benedicto Campos. After a return to Europe in 1950, Fangio drove the car (now again without the supercharger) again in Formula 2, but with little success. 1951 returned the 166 (again as " FL" with supercharger) back to Argentina, and was quite successful until 1953 with José Froilán González at the wheel (3 wins, 3-second places, 1 third place). The car then remained in Argentina until it was discovered by Colin Crabbe in the late 1980s. He imported the car to the UK where it was extensively restored by Tony Merrick. Later owners included well-known collectors Carlos Monteverde and Christopher Cox. In 2003 the ex-Fangio Ferrari 166 FL was acquired by a German private collection. In 2017, the 166 FL was on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Manuel Fangio</span> Argentine racing driver (1911–1995)

Juan Manuel Fangio, nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro, was an Argentine racing car driver. He dominated the first decade of Formula One racing, winning the World Drivers' Championship five times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Farina</span> Italian racing driver (1906–1966)

Emilio Giuseppe Farina, also known as Giuseppe Antonio "Nino" Farina, was an Italian racing driver and the first official Formula One World Champion in 1950. He was the Italian Champion in 1937, 1938 and 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 Belgian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1953 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 21 June 1953 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 4 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 36-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from second position. His teammate Luigi Villoresi finished second and Maserati driver Onofre Marimón came in third.

The 1951 Formula One season was the fifth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1951 World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on 27 May 1951 and ended on 28 October after eight races. The season also included 14 races open to Formula One cars but did not count towards the championship standings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentine Grand Prix</span> Formula One Grand Prix

The Argentine Grand Prix was a round of the Formula One championship, held intermittently from 1953 to 1998, all at the same autodrome in the Argentine national capital of Buenos Aires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurelio Lampredi</span> Italian engineer

Aurelio Lampredi was an Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gioacchino Colombo</span>

Gioacchino Colombo was an Italian automobile engine designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felice Bonetto</span> Italian racing driver (1903–1953)

Felice Bonetto was a courageous racing driver who earned the nickname Il Pirata.

The British Racing Motors V16 was a supercharged 1.5-litre V-16 cylinder racing engine built by British Racing Motors (BRM) for competing in Formula One motor racing in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Designed in 1947 and raced until 1954–55, it produced 600 bhp (450 kW) at 12,000 rpm, although test figures from Rolls-Royce suggested that the engine would be able to be run at up to 14,000rpm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W196</span> Formula One racing automobile

The Mercedes-Benz W196 was a Formula One racing car produced by Mercedes-Benz for the 1954 and 1955 F1 seasons. Successor to the W194, in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss it won 9 of 12 races entered and captured the only two world championships in which it competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo 158/159 Alfetta</span> Racing automobile

The Alfa Romeo 158/159, also known as the Alfetta, is a Grand Prix racing car produced by Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It is one of the most successful racing cars ever; the 158 and its derivative, the 159, took 47 wins from 54 Grands Prix entered. It was originally developed for the pre-World War II voiturette formula (1937) and has a 1.5-litre straight-8 supercharged engine. Following World War II, the car was eligible for the new Formula One introduced in 1947. In the hands of drivers such as Nino Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli, it dominated the first two seasons of the World Championship of Drivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 4CL and 4CLT</span> Single-seat racing car

The Maserati 4CL and its derived sister model the Maserati 4CLT are single-seat open-wheel Grand Prix racing cars that were designed and built by Maserati. The 4CL was introduced at the beginning of the 1939 season, as a rival to the Alfa Romeo 158 and various ERA models in the voiturette class of international Grand Prix motor racing. Although racing ceased during World War II, the 4CL was one of the front running models at the resumption of racing in the late 1940s. Experiments with two-stage supercharging and tubular chassis construction eventually led to the introduction of the revised 4CLT model in 1948. The 4CLT was steadily upgraded and updated over the following two years, resulting in the ultimate 4CLT/50 model, introduced for the inaugural year of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. In the immediate post-war period, and the first two years of the Formula One category, the 4CLT was the car of choice for many privateer entrants, leading to numerous examples being involved in most races during this period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo Tipo 308</span>

The Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 or 8C-308 is a Grand Prix racing car made for the 3 litre class in 1938. Only four cars were produced, actually modified from Tipo C with the engine mounted lower into the chassis and a slimmer body. The chassis was derived from the Tipo C and the engine from the 8C 2900. The 308 was engineered by Gioacchino Colombo under the control of Enzo Ferrari who was then in charge of Alfa's racing team, Alfa Corse. The car debuted at the Pau Grand Prix in 1938, where two cars were entered to race, one for Tazio Nuvolari and the other for Luigi Villoresi. Both drivers had to withdraw from competition, however Nuvolari had by then set a lap record. The next race was the Tripoli Grand Prix. The new 312 and 316 were entered, but they had engine trouble during practice and Clemente Biondetti took the start at the wheel of the 308 held in reserve. He failed to finish, while Hermann Lang, driving a Mercedes-Benz W154, was the winner. In this race, Eugenio Siena, driving a 312, was killed after hitting a wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BRM Type 15</span>

The BRM Type 15 was a Formula One racing car of the early 1950s, and the first car produced by British Racing Motors. The car was fitted with a revolutionary and highly complex supercharged 1.5-litre British Racing Motors V16 which produced considerably more power than any of its contemporaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buenos Aires Grand Prix (motor racing)</span>

The Buenos Aires Grand Prix is a motor race held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Formula One drivers from Argentina</span> List of Formula One drivers who competed as Argentine

There have been 25 Formula One drivers from Argentina including one World Drivers' Champion. Juan Manuel Fangio, who is regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all time, won the title five times in the first eight seasons of the championship and was twice a runner-up.

Maserati made four naturally-aspirated, V12 racing engines, designed for Formula One; between 1951 and 1969. The first was an experimental O.S.C.A. engine; in accordance with the 4.5 L engine regulations imposed by the FIA for 1951. Their second engine was 250 F1 V12; in accordance with the 2.5 L engine regulations set by the FIA. Their last two V12 engines were customer engines supplied to Cooper; between 1966 and 1969. The Tipo 9 / F1 and Tipo 10 /F1, which were both manufactured to the FIA's 3.0 L engine regulations for 1966. One sports car, a modified version of the Maserati 350S, also used V12 engine, with a 3.5 L (210 cu in) displacement, and produced 335 hp (250 kW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veritas Meteor</span> Motor vehicle

The Veritas Meteor was a Formula One and Formula 2 race car that raced for Veritas and private stables from 1951 until 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 125 C</span>

The Ferrari 125 C is an open-wheel single-seater racing car, designed, developed, and produced by Ferrari in 1947 as a single example. It competed primarily in Formula Libre contests and events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 166 F2</span> Racing car

The Ferrari 166 F2 is an open-wheel formula racing single-seater car, designed, developed and built by Italian manufacturer and team Scuderia Ferrari, for Formula 2 racing, in 1948. This is the car in which Argentinian driver, and eventual five-time Formula One world champion, Juan Manuel Fangio, became known in Europe.

References

  1. "1949 - 1952 Ferrari 166 FL - Images, Specifications and Information". Ultimatecarpage.com.
  2. 1 2 "166 FL s/n 011F". www.barchetta.cc.
  3. "1949 - 1952 Ferrari 166 FL Specifications". Ultimatecarpage.com.
  4. "Ferrari 166 FL" . Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  5. "Il Ferrari Club Sicilia". xoomer.virgilio.it.