The Ferrari 326 MI was a single-seater manufactured by Ferrari in 1958. It was a one-off race car purpose-built for the second edition of the 500 Miles of Monza. It was one of the two special cars created to compete with American race cars on an Italian race track. As per naming convention "326" stood for 3.2-litre, 6-cylinder engine. The "MI" suffix stood for "Monza-Indianapolis".
Development
The Race of Two Worlds was a short-lived race where the European and American single seaters and sports cars could compete. At Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the organisers prepared special banked curves on a paved oval track in the Indianapolis 500 style. It was the fastest race at that time with a highest speeds recorded at, compared to a record of at the 1958 Indianapolis 500. Ferrari entered three cars in this race to Indycar regulations. Two of them were specially engineered for the 500 Miles of Monza. The second purpose-built racer after the 412 MI used a modified 246 F1 chassis, featuring a Ferrari-built DinoV6 engine, enlarged to 3.2-litres and was named the 326 MI. The engine was derived from the Dino race car with the largest capacity possible by its crankshaft at of stroke. Ferrari also chose to use the Firestone tyres, just as Americans did. Ferrari was in contract with Belgian Englebert but those tyres were not suitable for a high speedMonza track.
Specifications
The 326 MI used a Dino 65° V6 engine, mounted longitudinally in the front. The internal measurements were of bore and stroke and the resulting total capacity was. It was the biggest capacity and the longest stroke of any Dino V6 in history. With a compression ratio of 10:1, it could produce a maximum power of at 7250 rpm. The engine was of a DOHC configuration with two valves per cylinder. Fuel feed was by three Weber 50DCN carburettors. The lubrication system was of a dry sump type. The 326 MIs tubular steel chassis was derived from the contemporary Ferrari 246 F1 race car with necessary modifications. The front suspension was independent with double unequal-length wishbones, coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers. At the rear there was a De Dion tube with twin radius arms and coil springs, aided by telescopic shock absorbers. Brakes were of a drum type and transmission had only three forward speeds. The fuel tank had a capacity of 166 litres.
Racing
For the 1958 edition of the Race of Two Worlds the Ferrari 326 MI #14 was initially assigned Luigi Musso as a driver. But because Musso had to relieve Mike Hawthorn in the 412 MI #12, Phil Hill was reassigned as a replacement for the 326 MI. Phil Hill's Ferrari was decidedly underpowered and could not match the leading cars. The 326 MI qualified at fourteenth place for the starting grid with a qualification average speed of. In the first heat of the actual race, after completing only eleven laps, Phil Hill had to retire due to ignition problems. The sole race of the 326 MI was cut short by a broken magneto. Phil Hill then served as a support for the other Ferrari team with the 412 MI, and in the two remaining heats relieved both drivers. That team finished the race at a third place overall. The Race of Two Worlds was cancelled and not organised again for the 1959 season.
