Here's another Serenissima's scarce sportscar

Rare ONES Again, we will discuss about classic cars whose appearance is very rare and very little known by the world's automotive enthusiasts like us today. The following car name may strange to some of you. But after seeing the shape it will certainly make you raise your eyebrows and have many questions. Because indeed you have never known this car before.

1968 Serenissima Ghia GT is one-off two-seater concept gran tourer designed by Tom Tjaarda and bodied by Carrozzeria Ghia. (Picture from: Artcurial)

Well, the name of the following car is the Serenissima Ghia GT, a gran tourer of the end of 1960s which was built only one unit based on a design made by an Amertican designer named Tom Tjaarda, while the bodywork was done by Carrozzeria Ghia which at that time had been acquired by Alejandro de Tomaso for Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata.

As quoted of Silodrome, Count Volpi had inherited a large estate and noble title from his father, but his hobby contrast from that of other nobles who preferred polo. Instead, Giovanni Volpi prefers motorcycle racing and lead him later to be founded his own racing team called Scuderia Serenissima. At the first, the Count Volpi's racing team garage filled by the line of Ferrari's race cars, as he had an excellent relationship with 'Il Commendatore' Enzo Ferrari.

1968 Serenissima Ghia GTmade under commissioned of Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata and debuted at the Turin Auto Show 1968. (Picture from: Artcurial)

But things changed, when a group of top engineers left Ferrari after had disagreement with the big boss. Then some of these former Ferrari engineers established a new automotive company called Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS), to make racing cars and Count Volpi supported them.

Apparently Enzo Ferrari learned of this, then he refused to sell any new race cars to him, this left the Count in a difficult position and it directly led to the creation of the car you see here and other Serenissima's cars such the Serenissima Jet of 1965, Serenissima Agena of 1967.

Inside of 1968 Serenissima Ghia GT has twin short bucket seats, a centre console with an array of switches and buttons, a plethora of gauges in the dashboard, a radio, a gated shifter, and what appears to be air conditioning. (Picture from: Artcurial)

At first glance, the Serenissima's car has similarities with the previous by Alejandro de Tomaso's car made. This is not surprising because the car was developed by Ghia shortly after the De Tomaso Mangusta designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. 

And Tom Tjaarda took some of the Ghia's design language of the Mangusta to implement onto this new coupe-styled gran tourer, and it's also gave him the inspiration while designing the DeTomaso Pantera a few years later. These three cars share a clear design resemblance, so it is not surprising if many assumed that the actually Serenissima Ghia GT was an unknown De Tomaso prototype.

1968 Serenissima Ghia GT was initially powered by a Massimino 3.5 liter V8 engine but was later quickly replaced with an Alf Francis M-167 V8 engine of the same capacity. (Picture from: Artcurial)

This is also supported by a statement of Count Volpi di Misurata's as quoted of the Silodrome, ''I was friends with De Tomaso, who owned Ghia (…) De Tomaso was an amazing character, very dynamic and full of life. We built a really well designed coupé with him, which had incredible suspension. It went round corners completely flat."

While the interior of the Serenissima Ghia GT is rather well appointed for a concept car, it has twin bucket seats, a centre console with an array of switches and buttons, a plethora of gauges in the dashboard, a radio, a gated shifter, and what appears to be air conditioning.

1968 Serenissima Ghia GT's engine can shoot up to 320 hp at 7,500 rpm and chanelled to drive its rear-wheels via a five-speed Serenissima (Francis) gearbox and limited slip differential. (Picture from: Artcurial)

This Serenissima sports car was initially powered by a Massimino 3.5 liter V8 engine but was later quickly replaced with an Alf Francis M-167 V8 engine of the same capacity. The new engine is then combined with 4 Weber's carburetors so that it can shoot up to 320 hp at 7,500 rpm. Then, those engine power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed Serenissima (Francis) gearbox and limited slip differential.

This Serenissima concept gran tourer was built by Ghia which was then exhibited (under the initial color of green) at the coachbuilder's booth at the 1968 Turin Auto Show. Unfortunately this car was never produced at all, although it is known that the concept car is a fully functional car.

In 2019, the one-off car has been sold at a pretty fantastic price tag of around €452,960 or $513,883 (over of Rp.7 billions) while was auctioned at the Vente Rétromobile 2019 event by Artcurial (a French auction agency). Even though at that time the car was in 'not-well' condition and needed a fully comprehensive restoration for back into its original appearence. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SILODROME | ARTCURIAL ]

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Have You ever knew this wierd-looking Ferrari Spyder Grintosa?

ONE-OFF As a true automotive enthusiast, of course you know the figure of Luigi 'Coco' Chinetti Jr, an Italian-American automotive entrepreneur who brought a lot of great influence to the Prancing Horse brand's gait on American soil in the 1960s. As we know that Chinetti is famous in America through its racing team called NART (North American Racing Team) which uses various racing cars made by car manufacturers based in Maranello.

One of the weirdest ever Ferrari's car model, named the Ferrari 365 NART Spyder Grintosa. (Picture from: Conceptcarz)

He has an amazing understanding of what the American market wants, such in the mid-1960s, when he assumed spyder designs would become a trend in the American market. Then he managed to convince 'Il Commendatore' Enzo Ferrari to make these cars to be marketed in America. We have also discussed previously some unique Ferrari cars are known to have a unique idea designs of Coco Chinetti Jr, such as the Ferrari 275 P2 Speciale, Ferrari 250 GT N.A.R.T. Spider by Fantuzzi.

The Ferrari 365 NART Spyder Grintosa's coachwork done by Carrozzeria Autosport di Bachelli & Villa and under commisoned of Luigi 'Coco' Chinetti Jr.. (Picture from: Supercars)

Now we will discuss another unique car called the Ferrari NART 365 Spyder Grintosa ('Grintosa,' an Italian word translates to 'aggressive in a sporting fashion') which is reportedly special commissioned of Coco Chinetti Jr. in 1969. The unique car built in the Maranello-based Ferrari's plant and was one of the 10 Ferrari NART 365 Spyder models ever made and built based on the Ferrari 365 GTC which is said to have adopted a very futuristic design at the time.

The Ferrari 365 NART Spyder Grintosa has a simple dashboard and built based on the Ferrari 365 GTC which is said to have adopted a very futuristic design at the time. (Picture from: GTPLanet)

Well, as a consequence, the chassis, engine and frame were taken from the 365 GTC, while the unique bodywork was done by a coachbuilder company in Bastiglia, Modena called Carrozzeria Autosport di Bachelli & Villa. As quoted of Conceptcarz that the design of these NART Spyder's is similar to the 512 BBLM models was built later in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The Ferrari 365 NART Spyder Grintosa is powered by a Colombo SOHC 4,390 cc Tipo 245/C V-12 engine and combined with 3 Weber carburetors. (Picture from: GTPLanet)

As is known, that the Ferrari 365 series which is used as the basis of this one-off car first appeared in the late 1960s was powered by a Gioacchino Colombo's SOHC 4,390 cc Tipo 251/C V-12 engine and combined with 3 Weber carburetors so that it was able to spew power up to almost 300 hp. As for the front and rear suspension, most of this series uses an independent suspension equipped with double wishbones and coil springs.

And the famous car model from this series is the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 which was launched as the replecement of the Ferrari 275 GTB/4 at the 1968 Paris Auto Show. The car designed by Leonardo Fioravanti of Pininfarina and given a nickname as 'Daytona' by the media and automotive enthusiasts to comemmorate Ferrari's success dominated the winning podiums 1, 2 and 3 at the 1967 Daytona 24-Hours.

The Ferrari 365 NART Spyder Grintosa has unusual features such as the nose/headlights, side vents, and a weird rear tire cover. (Picture from: Supercars)

The Ferrari NART 365 Spyder Grintosa has the chassis number #12611 was made for only one example, and is said to be an unattractive model among automotive enthusiasts (perhaps until now) because of its unusual shape and coud be said as the weird ones ever used on the prancing horse species. As you can see from the very front which includes the nose/headlights, side vents, and a weird rear tire cover, maybe the car is the only Ferrari model that uses such a style.

The Ferrari 365 NART Spyder Grintosa and other 365 NART Spyder models built based on this Ferrari 365 GTC. (Picture from: TopCarRating)

Sorry, we couldn't find any video about the Ferrari 365 NART Spyder Grintosa model, the following video is about its donor Ferrari 365 GTC.

As quoted of Conceptcarz, it was last known that the Ferrari NART 365 Spyder Grintosa had been treated with a restoration carried out by Autosport in Modena, Italy, under the Ferrari Authorized Customer Service Center, and had been seen at several world-famous automotive events such as the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance some time ago. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CONCEPTCARZ | SUPERCARS | THECAREXPERIENCE | GTPLANET | CLASSICDRIVER ]

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Will Bugatti launches the Chiron Roadster?

What...? In 2020, it was reported that Bugatti Automobile SAS would produce the Bugatti Chiron Roadster, which had been said just a rumour. As quoted from Motor1, that the Bugatti Chiron variant which made its debut four or five years ago which was then followed by the emergence of various other variants such as Super Sport 300+, Pur Sport, Divo, Centodieci and La Voiture Noir. And the propective Bugatti Chiron roadster is said to be built under commissioned for one Bugatti's special clientfor one Bugatti's special client.

In 2020, it was reported that Bugatti Automobile SAS would produce the Bugatti Chiron Roadster, which had been said just a rumour. In Pictured: 2008 Bugatti Veyron Barchetta Concept. (Picture from: Carscoops)

Unfortunately, information regarding the Bugatti Chiron roadster is tightly closed at the time. Only said, to be sure, this car is only made once and is available in one unit in the world so its production cost is claimed to be very expensive. Many predict, the Bugatti Chiron roadster could cost more US $10 million (pre-tax) or the equivalent of Rp.141 billion.

Collection of rare Bugattis at automaker's headquarters in Molsheim, France. (Picture from: MotorAuthotity)

This is reasonable because the standard Bugatti Chiron alone is priced at US $3 million or Rp.42 billion. And as reported of MotorAuthority, although the price is more expensive than the Bugatti Centiodieci, the Chiron roadster is still far less than the price of the Bugatti La Voiture Noir which is sold for US $18 million (approx. Rp.255 billion).

For the drivetrain, rumoured that the Bugatti Chiron roadster will carry a 16-cylinder, 8.0-liter quad turbo engine capable of spewing out 1,500 hp. That is, the car will be one of the fastest roadsters ever made. Since it was built for only one unit for special client as well, the design was definitely very special, no wonder if the price could be reached three times the price of a standard Bugatti Chiron.

Then how the response of the Molsheim, France based car manufacturer related to this? As reported by the RobbReport which states that they have confirmed directly to Bugatti's management. And the management of those French manufacturer stated that, "The information is just a rumor."

However, it seems that the public, especially those who fans of these French premium automotive brands still hope that one day the car maker will launch a Chiron Roadster variant. And to treat a little curiosity, the French manufacturer some time ago presented "Le Cadeau" ('Gift' in the French) in the form of a unique luxury watch to keep your priceless time while in driving the New Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MOTORAUTHORITY | ROBBREPORT | ANDONICARS ]

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Have You ever heard about this 1967 Agena sports car?

Rare ONES Indeed, in the automotive world, there are many brands were less known to automotive enthusiasts today. One of them is Serenissima, the automotive brand was founded by Count Giovanni Volpi of Venice in the 1960s for his racing team under the full name of Scuderia Serenissima. As is known at first the Count Volpi's racing team using Ferrari-engined racing cars to achieve many victories on the racing circuit at the time.

1967 Serenissima Agena sports car is built for Scuderia Serenissima and originally designed by Piero Drogo as a mid-engined high-end Grand Tourer. (Picture from: RouteVecchie)

However, when its founder later funded a new company called ATS which was founded by several former Ferrari employees, so made Enzo Ferrari not pleased and decided not to sell his car anymore to Serenissima. So the company turned to De Tomaso, ATS, and Maserati, and it is also known that Volpi and Serenissima halted its operations in the world's automotive in 1970.

Besides being involved in the world of racing, Serenissima is also known to have launched several prototype racing cars and one of them ever discussed by us, namely the Serenissima 308V Jet Competizione of the 1965 which unfortunately never had really the chance to shine in the circuits.

1967 Serenissima Agena sports car has a fairly light aluminum body made by the Modena-based coachbuilder named Carrozzeria Sports Car which built on a boxy structure with tubular front and rear subframes. (Picture from: RouteVecchie)

This time, we will discuss another car model specifically made for Giovanni Volpi's racing team, which is named Serenissima Agena. The car was originally designed as a mid-engined high-end Grand Tourer, which was relatively new at the time. It is noted only several famous manufacturers have chosen this such engine set-up, and the most prominent is the Lamborghini Miura, which was first presented at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, shortly after that followed by De Tomaso Mangusta is carried an American engine, but it said not as innovative as the Lambo's car.

Inside the cabin of the Serenissima Agena's dashboard has an impressive number of instruments and a three-spoke steering wheel mounted with six Allen bolts. (Picture from: Coachbuild)

The Serenissima Agena is designed by Piero Drogo and built on a boxy structure with tubular front and rear subframes, and is powered by a Massimino Tipo 358 V engine. The drivetrain is a 3.5 liter overhead twin-cam V8 engine coupled with twin-spark ignition plus four Weber DCN14 carburetors, at first glance this layout is identical to the Le Mans spyder. Besides that the two-seater coupé has a fairly light aluminum body made by the Modena-based coachbuilder named Carrozzeria Sports Car.

There are two leather covered bucket seats, a gear lever in a solid grille, with dog-leg first gear and a lock for reverse inside the cabin of 1967 Serenissima Agena sports car. (Picture from: RouteVecchie)

As stated by the brand's owner, initially on the car installed louver lights, but then the front was modified by mechanics to install four lights. After finishing looking less elegant, the car was then redesigned to perfect its looks. The result, the car is featured with closed headlights, and more matched with lower air intake. While for several occasions the rear spoiler was installed, but it's removed after the event ended.

1967 Serenissima Agena sports car is powered is a 3.5 liter overhead twin-cam V8 Massimino Tipo 358 V engine. (Picture from: Coachbuild)

Inside the cabin, there are two leather covered bucket seats, a gear lever in a solid grille, with dog-leg first gear and a lock for reverse. While on its dashboard you could be found an impressive number of instruments such as a rev counter marked in red at 7,000 rpm, oil temperature and pressure gauge, water temperature gauge, battery charger and voltage gauge, clock and even an air intake temperature gauge.

1967 Serenissima Agena sports car is only made one unit as it is which is intended as a prototype. (Picture from: Coachbuild)

These aviation-styled dials and gauges are four screw-mounted each, so it giving the dashboard an experimental feel, reinforced by a three-spoke steering wheel mounted with six Allen bolts. The interior is featured with a touch of comfort, also completed with a Becker Grand Prix radio and a Philips cassette player with an eight-track cartridge.

While for certain event the rear spoiler was attached on the Serenissima Agena sports car, but it's removed after the event ended. (Picture from: Coachbuild)

The Agena is only made one unit as it is which is intended as a prototype. Once completed, the Agena was not used much, and is still in pristine condition to this day, apart from the aforementioned bodywork modifications. Amazingly, the car was sold by none other than the marque owner, who was responsible for the car commissioned back in the 1960s.

We're sorry because the video below is not about the Serenissima Agena, but its sibling the Serenissima 308V Jet Competizione.

If you ask how much is the price of this rare car is? As quoted from Auto-Moto, one of the leading auction events in Europe called Artcurial Rétromobile 2019 is priced the Agena car in the price range from €400 to €600 thousands (or approx Rp.6.9 to Rp.10.3 billions). Wow, it's pretty expensive too...! *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | WIKIPEDIA | RUOTEVECCHIE | COACHBUILD | AUTO-MOTO ]

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