Carrozzeria Sports Cars

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Carrozzeria Sports Cars
Sports Cars di Benedetti & C.
legal form Corporation
founding 1960
resolution 1971
Seat Modena , Italy
Branch Body shop

The Carrozzeria Sports Cars (1963: Sports Cars di Benedetti & C. ) was an Italian manufacturer of automobile bodies to which holders of the former racing driver Piero Drogo counted. In the 1960s Sports Cars designed and built a number of successful competition vehicles for Scuderia Ferrari and Maserati . In addition, the company created numerous individual individual bodies for racing and road vehicles for private customers.

Company history

The Carrozzeria Sports Cars was based in Modena . It was founded in 1960 by Otello Benedetti, Piero Drogo and Lino Marchesini; In 1963 Mario Allegretti joined as a further partner, who had previously run his own company, Allegretti e Gentilini . Because Piero Drogo was the central figure of the company, it was also (formally incorrectly) referred to in public as “Drogo Sports Cars” or simply as “Drogo”. From 1963 the company operated as Sports Cars di Benedetti & C.

Apart from a few racing cars, Sports Cars hardly built any new vehicles. The company specialized in cladding used chassis from different manufacturers, for example after racing accidents or because the owner wanted "something new" after a few years. Carrozzeria Sports Cars implemented the client's wishes as much as possible in their designs. One focus was on chassis from Ferrari . Carrozzeria Sports Cars was one of the few body manufacturers who had permission to use Ferrari's Cavallino Rampante for the new bodies . In addition, individual chassis from Maserati , De Santis and Jaguar were also rebuilt .

In many cases, the designer responsible for Carrozzeria Sports Cars was S. Tadini, but Drogo also designed the molds himself. The staff at times also included the mechanics Giorgio Neri and Luciano Bonacini, who after a short time set up their own company Neri e Bonacini . In the 1960s, the two companies were closely linked. The Carrozzeria Sports Cars and Neri e Bonacini worked several times as subcontractors for each other.

Carrozzeria Sports Cars ceased operations in 1971. Two years later, Drogo died in a car accident.

Competition vehicles with Sports Cars body

Maserati "Birdcage"

Maserati Tipo 61 "Birdcage" with a later Drogo body

The first order from Carrozzeria Sports Cars was the redesign of a Maserati Tipo 61 "Birdcage" . It concerned the car with chassis number 2472, which Maserati had built in 1961 for the American motorsport team Camoradi Racing . Camoradi brought the car to the start in the factory version in four rounds of the sports car world championship in 1961 , of which it won two: Team manager Lloyd "Lucky" Casner came to the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring in 1961 and a week later at the Grand Prix of Rouen always crossed the finish line first. At the 4-hour race in Pescara in 1961 , Casner had an accident on a street circuit in Abruzzo on lap 15 and severely damaged his "Birdcage". Casner hired Carrozzeria Sports Cars to rebuild the car. Piero Drogo designed the car as a flat Spyder that bore no resemblance to the factory structure. In addition, the chassis was revised: Sports Cars replaced the standard DeDion rear axle with a double wishbone construction from the newer Tipo 63 . Camoradi started the car, unofficially known as the "Drogo-Birdcage", in 1962 and 1963 in one race each, but was no longer successful. The car then went back to Maserati, where it was kept unchanged for three and a half decades. In 1999 the Italian collector Umberto Panini bought the "Drogo-Birdcage", which has since been part of the so-called Panini collection.

Maserati Tipo 151/3

Maserati Tipo 151/3 with Kammback body from Drogo

For the sports car world championship in 1962 , Maserati designed the Tipo 151 , a successor to the “Birdcage”, which was primarily intended for use in the Le Mans 24-hour race . The technical concept and the hatchback body of the car went back to Giulio Alfieri . The Modenese company Allegretti e Gentilini built three Tipo 151s on Maserati's behalf, two of which went to Briggs Cunningham and one was taken over by Maserati France. None of the three Tipo 151s crossed the finish line at Le Mans in 1962 . While the two Cunningham cars were then used in the USA, the Maserati France car went back to the factory to be revised for further use.

In either 1962 or 1963, the wheelbase of the Maserati France car was lengthened so that the engine could be installed lower. In addition, the car received a new body designed by Piero Drogo. Special features were an almost horizontally tapering roof and a crest rear , which took up the concept of the "Ferrari Breadvan" published a year earlier . It is unclear whether this body was actually built at Sports Cars. Some sources assume that it was again created by Allegretti e Gentilini, who then worked as a subcontractor for Drogo. It is possible that the work of Allegretti e Gentilini and Sports Cars merged because Allegretti e Gentilini ceased operations at the end of 1963 and Mario Allegretti, one of the owners, became a partner in Carrozzeria Sports Cars. The 151/3 with Drogo body went to the start for Johnny Simone's Maserati France team at the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1964 , but was canceled again. Some sources assume that the Drogo body was already in use at the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1963 . That contradicts the usual statistics.

Ferrari "Breadvan"

Developed by Drogo: Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan

One of the most extraordinary racing cars of the 1960s was the "Ferrari Breadvan". Giotto Bizzarrini designed it at the end of 1961 for the Venetian motorsport team Scuderia Serenissima of Conte Giovanni Volpi di Misurata . It should compete with the new 250 GTO of the Ferrari factory team . The car was technically based on the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB SEFAC Hot Rod and used chassis No. 2819GT, which had left the factory in 1961 with a standard Scagiletti body . A special external feature of the "Breadvan" was its comb rear, which was responsible for the nicknames "Breadvan" (bread truck) or "Camionette" (small truck). The body of the breadvan is usually attributed to Carrozzeria Sports Cars. It is certain that Drogo's company was involved early in the development of the body and manufactured the body parts. Neri e Bonacini was also involved in the production; This is probably where the technical components were built into the car.

Ferrari 330 P2, 330P3, 330P4 and 412P

Ferrari 330P3 (1966)
Ferrari 330P4 (1967)

From 1964 to 1967, Carrozzeria Sports Cars built a number of racing sports cars for the factory team, but also for customer teams, on behalf of Ferrari. Sports Cars took over the functions that Carrozzeria Fantuzzi had held during this time . In many cases Piero Drogo also contributed to the design of the superstructures. The relationship with Sports Cars ended in 1969 when Ferrari started building the racing cars themselves.

The racing cars of the Ferrari 330P series were among the most extensive orders from Carrozzeria Sports Cars . In 1963 the Ferrari 330P , developed from the 275P , made its debut , followed the following year by the 330P2 . With them, Ferrari's works team won the sports car world championships in 1964 and 1965 . Like their predecessors, the 330P and 330P2 were made by Fantuzzi ; the design of the open notchback bodies came from Pininfarina . In parallel to Fantuzzi's factory 330P2, Carrozzeria Sports Cars built a small series of around five vehicles with an independent design, again developed by Pininfarina, which was sold to private teams such as NART and Filipinetti . The cars, initially unofficially known as the 330P2 Spyder Drogo, were later given enlarged engines with a displacement of 4.4 liters and then ran as the Ferrari 365P2 .

From the 1966 season onwards , Carrozzeria Sports Cars manufactured not only the customer, but also the works cars of the 330P series. There, three 330P3s were initially built , the design of which is attributed to Piero Drogo. Stylistically, however, the cars basically followed the Pininfarina-designed 330P2 Spyder Drogo and 365P2, which Sports Cars had built for the private teams in 1965. That year Ferrari had to admit defeat to rival Ford in the world championship . At the end of the year, some 330P3 with Drogo bodies went to the private teams Filipinetti, Maranello Concessionaires and NART, who used them externally unchanged, but with modified drive technology in 1967 under the name 412P .

In 1967 the works team saw the further developed 330P4 , which again had a Drogo body. Carrozzeria Sports Cars produced three copies of it. With them, Scuderia Ferrari, with the pairings Lorenzo Bandini / Chris Amon and Mike Parkes / Ludovico Scarfiotti, scored double victories at the Daytona 24-hour race in 1967 and the Monza 1000 km race, and ultimately won the world championship ahead of Porsche .

Ferrari Dino 206P and 206S

Ferrari Dino 206 SP

The Ferrari Dino 206 was a competition vehicle for the 2.0 liter class. It was intended for use in sports car and mountain races . The prototype Dino 206P from 1965 with 1.6 liter displacement was followed in 1966 by the Dino 206S with a 2.0 liter six-cylinder V-engine. The body design for both models is attributed to Pininfarina, the construction was carried out by Carrozzeria Sports Cars. Outwardly, the Dino 206P and the Dino 206S showed clear similarities with the 330P3, as the smaller versions of which they are sometimes described. Ferrari planned to have 50 Dino 206S manufactured to ensure homologation. But this did not happen. Because of the ongoing strikes in northern Italy, Sports Cars was only able to produce 18 vehicles by 1969, 15 of which were Spyder and three were Berlinettas. At least three vehicles later received new bodies from Sports Cars.

Road vehicles with sports cars body

Iso Grifo A3 / C

Johnny Hallidays Iso Grifo A3 / C

The Carrozzeria Sports Cars was involved in the creation of special variants of the Iso Grifo in 1963 .

The 1963 Iso Grifo was the second sports car from the Milanese company Iso Rivolta after the Rivolta 300 . The car designer was Giotto Bizzarrini . Two versions of the Grifo were planned from the start: a comfortable version with the designation A3 / L (for Lusso ) and a street and competition version called A3 / C (for Competizione or Corsa ). Both versions were based on the same platform frame and also used the same suspension and drive technology. However, they differ in structure and engine tuning. The street version of the Grifo (A3 / L) had a steel body designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro , which was machine-made at Bertone . The very low structure of the competitive version A3 / C was stylistically independent; its design is usually attributed to Giotto Bizzarrini and Piero Vanni. The iso version of the A3 / C was manufactured until 1965. With one exception, which had a plastic body supplied by the boat manufacturer Vincenzo Catarsi , all A3 / C were equipped with bodies made of aluminum sheets. They were handcrafted at Carrozzeria Sports Cars. The A3 / C was assembled at Bizzarrini in Livorno .

After Giotto Bizzarrini parted ways with Iso Rivolta in the summer of 1965, he continued to produce the A3 / C on his own responsibility. The technically and externally unchanged model was named Bizzarrini GT 5300 . The Carrozzeria Sports Cars was no longer involved in its creation. The superstructures of the GT 5300 were supplied by BBM (1965), later Grosso e Vece (1966 and 1967) and, after their bankruptcy, finally Subalpina (1968). Catarsi also built a few more plastic bodies.

The Iso Grifo A3 / C is a sought-after collector's item today, but even with an unusual history it does not reach top prices. A specimen with a Sports Cars body and owned by the French singer Johnny Hallyday was offered at an auction in Paris in February 2018, but did not find a buyer.

The Nembo Ferraris

1990 to 1998 built in the style of the Nembo Spyder on the chassis of a 330 GT 2 + 2 (No. 5805 GT)

In the mid-1960s, Sports Cars was involved in building the so-called Nembo Ferraris . They include two or three Nembo Spyder and a closed Nembo GT . All Nembo models are based on older Ferrari chassis. They received new Spyder or Coupé bodies that were based on a design by Tom Meade . The Nembo Ferraris are usually attributed to Neri e Bonacini. In fact, the three or four cars were created in collaboration with Carrozzeria Sports Cars: the bodies drawn by Neri e Bonacini were made by hand at Sports Cars. Neri e Bonacini then assembled the cars using the technical components. In the opinion of many observers, the Nembo Spyder are considered to be the most beautiful Ferrari ever built with a special body and achieve prices in the seven-digit euro range. However, they are not recognized as a classic Ferrari at the factory.

In the 1990s, another Spyder body in the Nembo style was built on the chassis of a Ferrari 330 GT 2 + 2 (chassis number 5805 GT). Neither Neri e Bonacini nor Carrozzeria Sports Cars were involved in its construction.

Thomassima II

Carrozzeria Sports Cars was involved in building the unique Thomassima II. The car was a roadworthy sports car with the lines of contemporary racing vehicles. Its creator was the American Tom Meade, who designed the car for a US client from 1966 to 1968. Born in California, Meade lived in Italy in the 1960s, worked temporarily for Fantuzzi and came into contact with Drogo and Sports Cars through Luciano Bonacini. The Thomassima II used the tubular frame of a Cooper racing car from 1957, had the engine of a Ferrari 250P and an aluminum body that combined elements of Drogo's Ferrari 330P3 with those of the prototype for the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale . Carrozzeria Sports Cars took over the construction of the car. The Thomassima II remained a one-off. It was auctioned for US $ 9 million in October 2015.

Other Ferrari unique pieces

Ferrari 250 GT Coupé with retrofitted Drogo body (0977GT)

Over the years, Drogo designed individual superstructures for at least three 250 GT coupé chassis and around half a dozen chassis of the 250 GT Berlinetta SWB. In the 1960s, these bodies were often based on the shapes of the Ferrari 250 GTO. In 1967 there were two distinctly angular hatchback coupés in the style of the Maserati Ghibli for SWB Berlinetta chassis (chassis numbers 2067 and 2209); later a third vehicle with a similar structure was produced.

Drogo's extraordinary creations include the Drogo Ferrari 330 GT 2 + 2 Navarro , a large coupé made in 1968 on the chassis of a 330 GT 2 + 2 (chassis number 7979). The car was commissioned for the Italian night club owner Norberto Navarro. It has an angular hatchback body with very long overhangs. At the rear, wide struts run from the roof to the rear end. In the front it has a wide grill in which rectangular headlights from the Fiat 125 are embedded. The car was painted gold when it was completed, which led to the alternative designation The Golden Car . The 330 GT 2 + 2 Navarro is generally viewed as exceptionally ugly and atypical for Drogo. It is regarded as proof that Sports Cars was economically poorly positioned at the time and could not afford to turn down individual orders. Shortly after completion, Ferrari's North American importer Luigi Chinetti took over the car in the expectation that the angular lines would appeal to US customers. The car was difficult to sell, however, and a small series that Chinetti had temporarily thought of did not materialize. In the decades that followed, the car passed through numerous hands before it was shown publicly again for the first time in 2014 after an extensive restoration at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance .

Some of the Drogo bodies were subsequently removed and replaced by bodies in the style of the respective original vehicle or by newly designed bodies.

Other vehicles with Sports Cars bodies

Carrozzeria Sports Cars also built bodies for chassis from other manufacturers at the customer's request. A Jaguar E-Type chassis was fitted with an angular hatchback body that resembled Drogo's 1967 Maserati Ghibli interpretations after being damaged in an accident. Sports Cars designed and built the body of the Agena mid-engine car for Automobili Serenissima . Other chassis came from ASA , Cegga or Porsche .

literature

  • Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, Torino, 2017, ISBN 978-8896796412

Web links

Commons : Carrozzeria Sports Cars  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, Torino, 2017, ISBN 978-8896796412 , p. 526.
  2. ↑ a b Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, Torino, 2017, ISBN 978-8896796412 , p. 527.
  3. ↑ a b c d History of Carrozzeria Sports Cars on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on January 29, 2019).
  4. ↑ The Maserati Tipo 61 Drogo on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on January 31, 2019).
  5. ↑ Race results of the Maserati Tipo 61 # 2472 on the website www.racingsportscars.com (accessed on January 31, 2019).
  6. ↑ Description and illustration of the Drogo-Birdcage on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on January 31, 2019).
  7. ↑ Internet presence of the Panini Motor Museum (accessed on January 31, 2019).
  8. ↑ The Maserati Tipo 151/3 on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on February 5, 2919).
  9. ↑ Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, Torino, 2017, ISBN 978-8896796412 , p. 78.
  10. ^ Anthony Pritchard: Maserati. The history of racing, Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, 1st edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-7688-2513-9 , p. 204
  11. ↑ See e.g. B. Entry list for the 24-hour race of Le Mans 1963 and entry list for the 24-hour race of Le Mans 1964 , both on the website www.racingsportscars, there with images (accessed on February 6, 2019).
  12. ↑ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 204.
  13. ↑ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 107.
  14. ↑ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , pp. 108-110.
  15. ↑ Leonardo Acerbi: Ferrari: A Complete Guide to All Models , MBI Publishing Company LLC, 2006, ISBN 9780760325506 , p. 179.
  16. ↑ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 112.
  17. ↑ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 111 f.
  18. ↑ Brief description of the Ferrari Dino 206S on the website Auto.ferrari.com (accessed on January 30, 2019).
  19. ↑ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , pp. 95–97.
  20. ↑ a b c Richard Heseltine: One Vision . Driving report and model history of the Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada in: Classic and Sports Car, September 2004 issue.
  21. ^ Michael Riedner: Show-Biz . Presentation and driving report Bizzarrini GT Corsa 5300 from 1965. In: Motor Klassik, issue 3/1989, p. 132.
  22. ↑ Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, Torino, 2017, ISBN 978-8896796412 , p. 288.
  23. ↑ Company history of Autocostruzioni SD on the website www.diomante.com (accessed on November 25, 2017).
  24. ↑ Announcement of the auction by the RM Sotheby’s auction house (accessed on February 2, 2019).
  25. ↑ Report on the Rétromobile auction of February 8, 2018 on the website www.classicdriver.com (accessed on March 4, 2019).
  26. ↑ On the Nembo Ferraris cf. Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 207. There incorrectly referred to as “Neri e Bonacin”.
  27. ↑ History of the Nembo Spyder number 3771GT on the website www.barchetta.cc (accessed on February 2, 2019).
  28. ↑ NN: Meade'n Voyage. www.theautochannel.com, accessed February 3, 2019 .
  29. ↑ a b History of the Nembo Spyder 5805 on the website www.classicdriver.com (accessed on February 2, 2019).
  30. ↑ Descriptions and images of the Thomassima II on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on January 30, 2019).
  31. ↑ Auction report and brief description of the Thomassima II on the website www.roadantrack.com (accessed on January 30, 2019).
  32. ↑ Description and illustration of the Drogo Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta 2067GT on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on March 5, 2019).
  33. ↑ Description and images of the Drogo Ferrari 330 GT 2 + 2 Navarro on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on March 4, 2019).
  34. ↑ Description and illustration of the car on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on March 5, 2019).
  35. ↑ Wolfgang Blaube : Count, pay! Presentation of the brand Serenissima and driving report of the Jet Competizione. In: Oldtimer Market . No. 9 , September 2008, ISSN  0939-9704 , p. 10 ff .
  36. ↑ Description and illustration of the Serenissima Agena on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on March 5, 2019).