About puzzle #180: Ferrari 166 / 212 ‘Uovo’

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Last week’s ‘Easter Special’ car puzzle was all about the Ferrari 166 / 212 bodied by Fontana and better known as the ‘Uovo’ – the Egg. And we received some excellent answers on it, although they were hard to beat by the one from Jeffrey Vogel. He wrote: “I am a former owner of the Marzotto brothers’ Uovo (Egg). The base car was a 166MM, serial number 024MB, and during it's various iterations it received a later engine from a 212. It was crashed and re bodied by Fontana of Padova as a coupe, run by Gino Marzotto in the 1951 Giro di Sicilia. It was passed around in the USA for many years until it came into my possession in 1986. It was in poor condition but complete, almost impossible for a normal sized American to drive, as Marzotto brother were very small of statue. It had the 212 engine during my ownership. The car was recently sold at auction in California (not by me).”

Is that even possible to beat? Well, it may be, as all our regular puzzlers came up with more information. Not from the horse’s mouth, but very good never the less. Henk Visscher: “Gianni Marzotto, heir to the Marzotto textile enterprise and ‘gentlemen driver’ in Italian open road racing, hoped to repeat his prestigious 1950 Mille Miglia victory. He commissioned Carrozzeria Fontana to construct a light-alloy aerodynamic body on a Ferrari 166MM chassis combined with the 2.6-litre Colombo-V12 of the 212-Export. The egg-shaped body, designed by sculptor Franco Reggiani (now well-known for his ‘Monumento Ferrari Evoluzione’), resulted in the car’s nickname ‘Uovo’. The car retired in the 1951 Mille Miglia, but won the 1952 Giro de Toscane and Trento-Bondone hillclimb. From 1953 successive American and Italian owners kept the 166MM/212-Export in good condition.”

Luc Ryckaert: “Count Giannino Marzotto, not entirely satisfied with the traditional Touring coachwork, ordered a streamlined body with maximum efficiency and performance in mind (…). After moderate racing successes in Europe, the car was shipped in 1953 to Mexico, spent some time in America, returned via England back to Italy. Changed hands for $4,000,000 in 2017.”

Gerd Klioba: “Designed by Sergio Reggiani, built by Carrozzeria Fontana on a chassis by Fattena Autotelai, powered by an early 212 Inter engine (#0107), it nowadays sits on a 166MM chassis (#0024MB), formerly clothed as a Touring barchetta. The proposed front design had to be altered when a low radiator couldn't be supplied by Ferrari, adding 15 cm height and obscuring the shape. The car weighed 150 kilos less and was more aerodynamic than usual.”

Alan Spencer wins for now, adding some lovely information in between the lines: “At the age of 22, textile heir Count Giannino Marzotto (here with Enzo Ferrari-ed) drove a Ferrari 195S to victory in the 1950 Mille Miglia, famously attired in a double-breasted suit. At odds with Enzo Ferrari over the weight and aerodynamics of available Ferraris, he enlisted aeronautical engineer - and later sculptor – Franco Reggiani and Carrozzeria Fontana to create an egg-like body of Puraluman - about 330 lbs lighter than contemporary Ferraris - on a repaired 166MM chassis (024MB) with a 212 Export engine. Having led the 1951 Mille Miglia, Marzotto DNF’d but l’Uovo won the Coppa della Toscana.” Well done Sir.

(Picture RM Sotheby's)

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