Between 1952 and 1953 the Ferrari 12-cylinder 2-liter engine, which had equipped the 166, underwent further development and equipped with new Weber carburettors, it was used on a second series of 166MM, called the 166MM / 53. The Scuderia Guastalla turned to Carlo Abarth to fit the bodywork to their model, and the result was a very original car, with a body made up of a series of separable aluminum panels, fixed on a light lattice structure with boxed elements also they in aluminum. The concept was very modern because it allowed the replacement of bodywork elements in a short time. The Ferrari-Abarth 166MM made its racing debut in May 1953 at the Targa Florio with Giulio Musitelli.