A brilliant red Barchetta from a better, vanished time

I strip away the old debris, that hides a shining car
A brilliant red barchetta, from a better, vanished time
I fire up the willing engine, responding with a roar
Tires spitting gravel, I commit my weekly crime…

Rush - Red Barchetta

What a find.

That is a Ferrari Barchetta, the type of car made famous in the song.  More specifically, this is a Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta Speciale, s/n 0052 M.  It’s one of only 25 with the touring body, and this particular one is even more special.  It was factory-built as an experimental machine and has quite the storied history.  Between 1950 and 1955 it was raced all over Europe, and in 1959 someone bought it and stored it in a garage in Arizona for 45 years.  It has been fully mechanically rebuilt as-was, and the body and finish have been left as they were in 1955 when she rolled across the finish line for the last time.  Every ding and scratch has a story, I’m sure.

Kind of cool, seeing one of the cars that I’ve been hearing about in song my whole life.  Go visit the gallery of photos...very, very cool.  I bet she sounds amazing, and driving her is probably about as much fun as you can have behind the wheel of anything that stays on the ground.

Posted by JimK at 03:57 AM on February 08, 2007
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Categories: Technobabble (Technology),  Things With Engines
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Technorati: Red Barchetta Ferrari 166 MM cars

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