ASA 1000 GT

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ASA
ASA 1000 GT
ASA 1000 GT
1000 GT
Production period: (1962), 1964-1967
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Coupé , convertible
Engines:
Petrol engine : 1.0 liter (66.9–71.3 kW SAE)
Length: 3880 mm
Width: 1550 mm
Height: 1200 mm
Wheelbase : 2200 mm
Empty weight : 720-830 kg

The ASA 1000 GT is a sports car from the former automobile company Autocostruzione SpA, or ASA for short. It was introduced in 1962 and built from 1964 until the company closed in 1967.

history

1959, Ferrari 854

In December 1959 Ferrari presented the Project 854 at a press conference. Under this name Ferrari wanted to bring a small sports coupé with a four-cylinder engine and a displacement of 850 cm³ on the market. (Hence the designation 854 - 85 0 cm³ and 4 -cylinder) The production of 3000 to 5000 units per year was planned at an ex works price of 1,600,000 lire each. For this purpose Ferrari had already developed a four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine with a bore of 65 mm and a stroke of 64 mm (corresponds to a displacement of 849 cm³). It had an overhead camshaft and, with a Solex carburetor and a compression of 9: 1, made 75 hp at 6800 rpm. In 1960, a motorsport journalist pointed out the potential of the engine if it were to be equipped with different carburettors and higher compression, and if a light body with a corresponding chassis were also used, then it would pose a great danger to the dominant Fiat Abarth 850 .

1960, Pininfarina Coupe

Shortly after the Ferrari 854 was presented, Ferrari decided not to manufacture the car in-house and to outsource the concept to an outside company. In order to better present the idea and its potential, he had the engine installed in a correspondingly modified Fiat 1200 chassis. The wheelbase was 2210 mm and the track 1283 mm. Pininfarina designed a two-seater notchback coupé for this. Other features were 13-inch wheels and a four-speed gearbox with overdrive from Laycock-de Normanville for gears three and four. The empty weight was just over 700 kg. The attached trademarks were interesting. There was a machine gun symbol on the grille and a star on the hood, which US magazine Sports Cars Illustrated compared to a sheriff's star . One can only speculate about the meaning of the emblems, since Ferrari did not provide any information.

The project was expanded in mid-1960. The vehicle should now have an engine with three power levels. The resulting model range should include a touring version with 64 hp, a GT version with 72 hp and a sports version with 84 hp. Corresponding engine tests also began at this time.

1961, Bertone Mille

In 1960 and 1961, Enzo Ferrari repeatedly used the Pininfarina Coupé as a personal means of transport. He often drove the car to sporting events and was happy to present it to interested parties. During this time, there were repeated reports in the press about negotiations with potential companies about the construction of the small sports car, but an agreement was never reached. The American magazine Sports Car Graphic once wrote:

"At that time [1961] were several companies named as prospective buyers and manufacturers of this car, but evidently the Commendatore must have been a very tough man to deal with, as none of the deals came through."

"At that time [1961] several companies were named as potential buyers and manufacturers of this car, but obviously the commendatore must have been a very difficult man as none of the deals came off."

- Bernard Cahier : Sports Car Graphic, Jan 1963, 33

In 1961 Ferrari made another attempt to portray the attractiveness of the project. For this purpose he had Giotto Bizzarrini develop a chassis. Bizzarrini used his experience in building the Ferrari 250 GTO . He constructed a tubular frame with two oval longitudinal beams. The front suspension had tubular double wishbones, coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers and the rear suspension consisted of a rigid axle with semi-elliptical springs and telescopic shock absorbers. In addition, Dunlop disc brakes were installed on all wheels. The Bertone company was commissioned to build the body . Giorgio Giugiaro , who was still working for Bertone at the time, designed a hatchback coupé with aerodynamically clad headlights. In his design, he consciously used stylistic elements from Ferrari, so that Ferrari's involvement in the sports car was clearly recognizable, even if it did not bear the Ferrari emblem. The four-cylinder ohc engine had a displacement of 1000 cc. Since the hood was not opened during the exhibition and no official statements were made about the dimensions of the new engine, the automotive press speculated that it was a third of a Ferrari 250 V12 engine , resulting in a 73 mm bore and 58 , 8 mm stroke would result in a displacement of 984 cm³. Equipped with two Weber 38 DCO carburettors and a compression ratio of 9: 1, the engine developed 98 hp at 6800 rpm. The exhaust system came from Abarth and the four-speed transmission from Sunbeam with an overdrive from Laycock-de Normanville for gears three and four.

Bertone exhibited this sports car as Bertone Mille (German Bertone thousand) at the Salone dell'automobile di Torino in October 1961. At that time it was decided who would build the car, but not yet what name.

1962, ASA 1000 GT

When the company Autocostruzione SpA, or ASA for short, was founded on April 5, 1962 in Milan, it became known who would be the manufacturer of the “Ferrarina”. Oronzio de Nora and his son Niccolò took over the management of the company. Both also ran the electrochemical company de Nora in Milan, where the car was to be produced. Various racing drivers and Giotto Bizzarrini, who left Ferrari in 1961, also took part in the company. Luigi Chinetti (senior), who was well acquainted with both, is said to have had a major influence on the encounter between Ferrari and de Nora .

The ASA 1000 GT made its first appearance at the Turin Motor Show in autumn 1962. Autocostruzione presented a coupé and a Spider on its stand. The coupe body was a slightly modified version of the Bertone Mille. So were z. B. moved the headlights further forward and no longer disguised aerodynamically. This body made of sheet steel was manufactured by Carrozzeria Touring . The Spider had the same lines as the Coupé from Touring, but was made of fiberglass and was manufactured by the Carrozzeria Corbetta company . A light metal hardtop could be ordered for him at an additional cost.

1963, ASA GTC

This year it remained quiet about the small sports car. There were a few small newspaper articles and various vehicle tests with pre-series vehicles, but there was no sign of any delivery of the series production. Only Giotto Bizzarrini and Piero Drogo surprised the motorsport world with the first racing car derived from the ASA 1000 GT, the ASA GTC. GT stands for Gran Turismo and C for Competizione (German competition). Bizzarrini, who carried out the technical development of the GTC, essentially took over the chassis of the 1000 GT. Reduced the displacement of the four-cylinder SOHC engine to 998 cm³ and built in a five-speed gearbox. The specified output was 92 hp. The wheels were equipped with Amadori disc brakes. Drogo developed a coupé body with a front engine and hatchback that had a height of approx. 1090 mm. The complete racing car weighed around 600 kg. The GTC was supposed to be used in Sebring and Le Mans , but that didn't happen.

1964

After there was no sign of serial production in 1963, Autopress voiced the suspicion that ASA was slowly withdrawing from the market in view of the competition from Alfa-Romeo and Abarth . But at the beginning of 1964 the first vehicles were delivered. It turned out that the car was considerably more expensive than originally estimated. The 1,600,000 lire ex works stated in 1960 were exceeded by a good 57% with 2,520,000 lire in 1964. For the US market, which is important for sales, it meant that an ASA 1000 GT was offered to the buyer for around $ 6000. This price was a good 30% higher than a Corvette 427 , which was available for around $ 4,500.

According to the World Car Catalog published by the Italian automobile club ACI in 1966, 52 cars were built in 1964.

1965, ASA 411

In that year, ASA also began to take part in motorsport. For this purpose, two ASA 1000 GT were converted for the Targa Florio 1965 to make them racing. The two vehicles were very successful for their first use. They finished fifth and sixth in the prototype class up to 1600 cm³.

In the autumn of the same year, ASA presented the 411. The ASA 411 was another racing car derivative of the 1000 GT. The body had the same design as the Touring Coupé, but was manufactured by Carrozzeria Marazzi . External differences were especially inclined to the rear diffusers of the headlights , the fuel tank filler neck with quick release, an air scoop on the hood and no air vents in the fenders. To save weight, the body was made of light metal and had side and rear windows made of plastic. In order to be able to compete better in racing classes up to 1100 cm³, the engine was enlarged to 1.1 l.

In its World Car Catalog of 1967, the Italian Automobile Club stated the number of cars built as 190 for 1965.

1966, ASA Roll-Bar

Despite the emerging financial difficulties at ASA, ASA presented the ASA Roll-Bar in the spring of 1966 at the Geneva Motor Show . It was again a racing car derived from the 1000 GT this time for the choice between a six-cylinder 1.3-liter engine and a four-cylinder 1.8-liter engine. The design of the notchback coupé came from Luigi Chinetti junior and was made of plastic by Carrozzeria Corbetta. Two roll bars with 1.3 liter engines were used for the first time in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both vehicles retired during the race.

Also in 1966, ASA presented the 1000 GT Coupé made of plastic. The lines now resembled the ASA 411 with its headlights tilting backwards. In contrast to the 411, the 1000 GT Coupé had no plastic windows and no quick tank cap. The side windows could be lowered, the bonnet had no air scoop and the engine compartment has side air outlets in the fenders. The press also named this vehicle Series 2. It is not known how many of these coupés were built with plastic bodies.

1967

Production was stopped in the first half of 1967.

Racing

ASA 1000 GT from 1964 at the Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais auction of Bonhams 2015
Rear view of the same ASA 1000 GT from 1964, ibid 2015

The ASA 1000 GT was actually not built with the background of using it in races. The GTC, 411 and Roll-Bar vehicles derived from it were intended for this purpose. Nevertheless, some vehicles were converted to make them suitable for racing. ASA used two very successfully at the 1965 Targa Florio. They achieved fifth and sixth place in the prototype class up to 1600 cm³. A 1000 GT was also used in the 1966 Targa Florio. It was a coupé with a plastic body. Registered as ASA 411, it had the start number 202. It could not finish the race successfully. Occasionally, private drivers also use the vehicle in races.

An interesting vehicle was auctioned off by Bonhams at the Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais auction on February 2, 2015 . The coupé offered was a heavily modified ASA 1000 GT from 1964 that was originally registered for Niccolò de Nora. The racing car was equipped for the 1965 Targa Florio with many of the features of the upcoming ASA 411. The car has side windows that can be pushed in, instead of the fuel filler flap, a fuel filler neck with a quick-release fastener and the enlarged 1.1 liter engine. In addition, it also had the typical features of the 1000 GT such as upright headlights, no air scoop on the bonnet and air outlets in the fenders. Prepared in this way, the racing car was used for testing on the Targa Florio in 1965, but not for the actual race. The ASA 1000 GT was auctioned for € 103,500.

Description of the vehicle

ASA 1000 GT Coupé
ASA 1000 GT Coupé

engine

The engine is a four-cylinder, four-stroke gasoline engine. The cylinders are arranged in series and the pistons run in wet cylinder liners . The cylinder head and block are made of light metal. The camshaft, driven by a chain, is located in the cylinder head and controls the valves via rocker arms. Each cylinder has two valves hanging at a V angle of 60 °. The mixture preparation is generated by two Weber 40 DCOE9 double carburettors . The cooler is located in front of the engine and holds 5 liters of liquid. According to SAE, the engine achieved around 94 hp per liter of displacement in 1962. From 1964, the engine's output was reduced. This reduced the liter output to around 88 SAE-PS or 81 CUNA-PS.

Power transmission

The clutch is a single-plate dry clutch. The subsequent transmission has four forward gears and one reverse gear, an overdrive for gears three and four and is fully synchronized. The fourth gear is directly translated when the overdrive is not switched on. In 1962 the Sunbeam gearbox was delivered with a Laycock-de Normanville overdrive . From 1964 the ASA 1000 GT got the gearbox from Humber with an overdrive from Auto-Transmissions . The power was transferred from the gearbox to the rear axle drive with hypoid drive by means of a cardan shaft . The gear ratio was 9:41 (approx. 4.56: 1).

Chassis and chassis

The chassis is a tubular frame with two oval longitudinal members. The front wheels are individually suspended. The suspension consists of trapezoidal wishbones , coil springs and Telescopstoßdämpfern and are connected together via a cam stabilizer. The rear suspension consists of a rigid axle with coil springs, trailing arms, Watt linkage and telescopic shock absorbers. The braking system is a hydraulic dual-circuit brake. Each wheel has a Dunlop disc brake. The handbrake works on the rear wheels. The steering is designed as a rack and pinion steering . 3.25 turns are required from stop to stop.

Bodies

The first draft was the Coupé Mille designed by Giorgio Giugiaro in 1961 and presented by Bertone. On the basis of this prototype, a series body was designed, which was essentially the same visually. The company Carrozzeria Touring was commissioned with the series production of the two-seater coupé made of sheet steel.

Another derivative of the Giugiaro design was the Spider. The lines of the coupé were essentially retained in its design. Since the Coupé had a hatchback, the rear of the Spider had to be redesigned. The body was made of plastic. A hardtop made of light metal could also be ordered. The manufacturer of the Spider body was the company Carrozzeria Corbetta.

In 1966, the Carrozzeria Corbetta company built an unknown number of coupés with plastic bodies. In principle, the design of the coupé from Carrozzeria Touring was adopted. It was complemented with stylistic elements from the ASA 411 racing car. In the press the car was also referred to as the ASA 1000 GT Series 2.

Technical specifications

ASA 1000 GT0
model Pre-series
(1962) 		Series
(from 1964)
engine Four-cylinder, four-stroke gasoline engine
Displacement 1032 cc
Bore × stroke 69 × 69 mm
compression 9.1: 1
SAE performance at 1 / min 97 hp (71.3 kW) at 7000 91 hp (66.9 kW) at 6800
Performance according to CUNA at 1 / min - 84 hp (61.8 kW) at 6800
Torque according to DIN at 1 / min 9 kpm (88 Nm) at 3800 -
SAE torque at 1 / min - 10.3 kpm (101 Nm) at 5500
Torque according to CUNA at 1 / min - 9.1 kpm (89 Nm) at 5500
transmission Four-speed with overdrive for 3rd and 4th gear

Gear ratios 1st gear
2nd gear
3rd gear
3rd gear + overdrive
4th gear
4th gear + overdrive
reverse gear
3.333: 1
2.105: 1
1.380: 1
1.075: 1
1,000: 1
0.780: 1
4.240: 1
3.120: 1
1.970: 1
1.280: 1
1.025: 1
1,000: 1
0.800: 1
3.320: 1
wheelbase 2200 mm
Front track 1226 mm
Rear track 1240 mm
Length × width × height 3880 × 1550 × 1200 mm
Empty weight 780 kg Coupé 830 kg, Spider 720 kg
tires 145HR13
Tank capacity Coupé 60 l, Spider 65 l
Acceleration 0-100 km / h - 13 s
Top speed 190 km / h 185 km / h
Fuel consumption 10-12 l / 100 km
price 18,000 DM (1965)

De Nora collection

On June 10, 2013, the Artcurial auction house auctioned two ASA 1000 GT from the collection of the de Nora family.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ The Fiat Abarth 850 from around 1960 is a development based on the Fiat 600. It is not related to the Fiat Abarth OT 850 .
  2. ↑ From the sales prospectus of the Spider from approx. 1964.
  3. ↑ For a better comparison with the information on the US market: 1,600,000 lire in 1960 corresponded to about $ 2,600.
  4. ↑ For a better comparison with the information on the US market: 2,520,000 lire in 1964 corresponded to approx.
  5. ↑ Why the two cars are on the registration list as ASA RB613 is unclear. The RB613 was only presented in Geneva in 1966.
  6. ↑ Sales brochures for the Coupé (approx. 1962 and approx. 1964) and the Spider (approx. 1964) have been taken into account.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c N. N .: Ferrari for the Masses. Sports Cars Illustrated (November 1960) in Car and Driver on Ferrari 1955–1962, Brooklands Books, Cobham, ISBN 0-946489-93-9 , p. 75.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Lowell Paddock: La Ferrarina in automobile Quarterly Volume XXI Number 3, Automobile Quarterly Inc., Kutztown, 1983, pp. 284-291.
  3. ↑ a b c d Bernard Cahier: Road Test / 1-63 Ferrari "ASA 1000 GT". Sports Car Graphic, Jan 1963, pp. 32-35, 77.
  4. ^ A b Bernard Cahier: Show Time - London - Goodwood Test Day - Torino. Sports Car Graphic, February 1962, p. 69.
  5. ↑ A bit of history website from INTERNATIONAL ASA REGISTER. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Automobil Revue catalog 1966 , pages 178, 179
  7. ^ Charles Bulmer: Driving the ASA 1000 GT - Once a Ferrari, always a Ferrari. The Motor (February 6, 1963) in Ferrari Collection No. 1 1960-1970, Brooklands Books, Cobham, ISBN 0-907073-10-7 , pp. 20-21.
  8. ↑ Jerry Titus: ASA GTC. Sports Car Graphic, September 1963, pp. 62-63.
  9. ↑ Automobil Revue catalog 1963 , last news on page 2
  10. ↑ a b c d e f Sergio D'Angelo: World Car Catalog 1966 , published annually by The Automobile Club of Italy, published in Great Britain in 1966 by ILIFFE BOOKS LTD, London, pp. 46, 47, 626, 702
  11. ↑ a b Photogallery Targa Florio 1965 - Targa Florio 1965 - ASA website from Targapedia. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  12. ↑ Lot 237 - 1965 ASA 411 GT COUPE Collection De Nora Website from Artcurial. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  13. ↑ Sergio D'Angelo: World Car Catalog 1967 , published annually by The Automobile Club of Italy, published in Great Britain in 1967 by ILIFFE BOOKS LTD, London, pp. 38, 39, 546, 596
  14. ↑ Picture: ASA Roll-bar (1966) - Geneva novelty - fast coupé with rollover protection - Geneva Motor Show 1966 website from Zwischengas.com. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  15. ^ ASA Roll-Bar - press release (1966, ital) - page 2 website from Zwischengas.com. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  16. ↑ Sergio D'Angelo: Stop Press News in World Car Catalog 1966 , published annually by The Automobile Club of Italy, published in Great Britain in 1966 by ILIFFE BOOKS LTD, London
  17. ↑ Photogallery Targa Florio 1966 - Targa Florio 1966 - ASA website from Targapedia. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  18. ↑ ASA 1000 GT Groupe 4 coupé 1964 website of Bonhams Auctions Home. Retrieved June 12, 2019
  19. ↑ a b c d Automobil Revue catalog 1964 , page 174, 175
  20. ↑ a b c d Sergio D'Angelo: World Car Catalog 1964 , published annually by The Automobile Club of Italy, published in Great Britain in 1964 by ILIFFE BOOKS LTD, London, p. 31
  21. ↑ Double-declutching - website: ASA "La Ferrarina" 1000 GT - the dream of the Ferrari-inspired entry-level sports car. In: www. Zwischengas.com. December 21, 2011, accessed March 23, 2020 .
  22. ↑ Lot 238 - 1966 ASA 1000 GT COUPE Collection De Nora Website from Artcurial. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  23. ↑ Lot 240 - 1965 ASA 1000 GT COUPE Collection De Nora Website from Artcurial. Retrieved January 20, 2019.