The car featured here is a 166 MM/53 with chassis number 0300M, which left the Ferrari factory on April 1, 1953, and, according to the production data sheet, was fitted with a Vignale Berlinetta body. As the eighth of only 13 vehicles produced in the Series II of the 166 MM, it was delivered via Garage Francorchamps to the Belgian Jacques Herzet, who immediately began competing in races with his new gem. On May 17 of that same year, Herzet competed in the Coupe des Spa and finished second overall in his first outing with the 166—an impressive debut that suggests a particularly powerful V12 engine. He enjoyed a remarkable string of successes with the car, standing on the podium at events such as the Coppa d’Oro, the Rallye des Alpes, and the demanding Liège–Romains–Liège Rally; he also won a class and finished third overall. In 1953, Herzet finished second in the first European Rally Championship—a remarkable achievement for a privateer. Herzet’s young co-driver, the then 18-year-old Lucien Bianchi, undoubtedly contributed to his success story; Bianchi later shone in Formula 1 himself, won the Tour de France Automobile multiple times, and claimed victory in the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT40.
As the weather in Belgium grew colder, Herzet shipped his beloved 166 to South America and continued his racing career. In Brazil, he racked up more top finishes. But the rigors of the sport took their toll on the delicate Vignale bodywork, which is why the car with chassis number 0300M was brought back to Belgium less than a year later and handed over to designer and coachbuilder Martial Oblin. The brief was clear: the car should not only look modern but also be lighter and thus more competitive. Oblin created a breathtaking barchetta design: gently sloping front fenders flowed into narrow doors, accentuated by elegantly curved fenders. Form followed function: A curved air scoop supplied fuel to the three Weber carburetors, and a simple, narrow plexiglass windshield spanned the entire width of the cockpit, making the car’s purpose as a rally vehicle clear. The Oblin body was indeed lighter, making the 166 significantly faster. The finished vehicle was presented at the 1955 Brussels Motor Show in a striking, unusual matte anthracite paint finish, accented by a deep red stripe running down the center of the sills. This paint effect was rare at the time; the car caused quite a stir and was featured in the 1955 Ferrari Yearbook.
Despite its spectacular appearance, Herzet returned to numerous competitions across Europe with the 0300M, and his success continued until the end of his time with the car in 1957. It is noteworthy that, unusually, the 0300M achieved most of its competitive successes almost exclusively with the same driver-co-driver combination.
