1965 ASA 1000GT Spyder Coachwork by Bertone
Chassis no. 11030
Engine no. 173255
Long before the appearance of the ‘baby’ Ferrari Dino, there had been another Ferrarina which few outside the world of Ferrari collectors and historians remember today. It was the ASA, which stood for Autocostruzioni Società per Azioni.
In 1958 Enzo Ferrari, riding the crest of a wave as creator of limited series Gran Turismo and racing cars with V12 engines, decided to explore the idea of a small capacity sports car to compete with the likes of Abarth. By 1961 a chassis had been designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, then at Ferrari, whilst Giorgietto Giugiaro, then at Bertone, created a pretty coupé body to clothe it. Power came from a twin cam 4 cylinder engine of 1000cc based on Fiat components, forming practically one third of a Ferrari 250 V12.
The ASA 1000GT or ‘Mille’ was shown at the 1961 Turin Motor Show, where F.1 star Lorenzo Bandini was on hand to give test rides to potential customers up a local hillclimb course (the writer’s father was one), but such was the high price tag that few cars were sold (100 in total, including approximately six spyders) and the company finally closed in 1967.
The ultra rare ASA spyder offered today was sold new to Massimo Moratti, the oil tycoon who was also president of Milan’s Inter football team. The car has always remained in Italy and recently completed the Milano-San Remo rally where it was a favourite of the public. Offered with Italian registration, it is a good example of the forgotten Ferrarina.
Bien avant l'apparition de la "baby" Ferrari Dino, il existait une autre "Ferrarina" dont peu de gens, hormis les collectionneurs et historiens, se souviennent aujourd'hui: l'ASA, acronyme de Autocostruzioni Società per Azioni.
Jouissant de sa réputation de créateur de Gran Turismo en séries limitées et de voitures de course dotées de moteurs V12, Enzo Ferrari décide en 1958 d'explorer l'idée d'une voiture de sport de petit format pour concurrencer Abarth.
L'ASA 1000GT ou "Mille" est présentée au Salon de Turin en 1961, mais le prix est si élevé que peu de modèles se vendront (100 au total, y compris 6 Spyder environ). Si bien que l'entreprise doit fermer ses portes en 1967.
Cette ASA Spyder rarissime a été vendue neuve à Massimo Moratti, magnat du pétrole et président du club de football Inter de Milan. Elle n'a jamais quitté l'Italie et a récemment participé au rallye Milan-San Remo où elle a gagné les faveurs du public. Proposée avec immatriculation italienne, c'est un bon exemple de "Ferrarina" oubliée.
