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The "first Ferrari" - Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815

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Created on May 6, 2021

Text:

Karl Ludvigsen (Übersetzung Bruno von Rotz)

Photos:

Archiv Karl Ludvigsen

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Archiv Karl Ludvigsen

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - the surviving car with chassis number 021 is much shinier today than it was back then

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Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100 (1937) - the pre-war version

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Fiat 508 C / 1100 Balilla (1937) - side view in a sales brochure

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Fiat 508 C / 1100 Balilla (1937) - see-through drawing reveals the technical details of the Fiat design

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Fiat 508 C / 1100 Balilla (1937) - beautiful illustration of the chassis

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Fiat 508 C / 1100 Balilla (1937) - Transparent drawing shows the interior of the four-cylinder engine

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - Design drawings by the Touring designers - but Enzo Ferrari wanted a more distinctive front end

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - Sketch for the convertible with unmistakable front design - never went into series production due to the war

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - test drives between Maranello and Modena, with Enrico Nardi at the wheel while helpers stopped traffic on side roads

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - Test drive before the Mille Miglia 1940, in the background you can see Enzo Ferrari, among others

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - Alberto Ascari with friend Silvio Vailati, who was also a motorcycle racer

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - Cavara designed this see-through drawing, but just before the MM 1940 there was no time for fine details

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - the "prancing horse" on the curved hood is clearly visible here

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - today, car 021 once again bears Ascari's starting number 66 from the 1940 Mille Miglia

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - large speedometer, calibrated for 5.5x15 tires and 3.91 to 1 rear axle ratio

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - in-line eight-cylinder engine, designed by Alberto Massimino on the basis of the Fiat 508C four-cylinder engine

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - the spare wheel was at the rear above the rear axle and in front of the fuel tank

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - Anderloni from Carrozzeria Touring designed elegant lines for the sports car

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - the only surviving Tipo 815, freshly photographed after restoration at Campana di Modena

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - now with pear-shaped radiator grille and the headlights of the Opel Kapitän

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - short tail version, the rear could not have been much softer in design

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - Enzo Ferrari did not want to start from scratch, so the first car was given the number 021

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 (1940) - based on the surviving car 021, this average drawing was created, which also nicely shows the Dubonnet front wheel suspension

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Summary

When Alfa Romeo fired Enzo Ferrari in 1939, the "Commendatore" received a generous severance payment, but he lacked a new goal, especially as he was not allowed to design racing cars under his own name. Enzo Ferrari elegantly circumvented this restriction and built a sports car for two motorcycle racers to take part in the 1940 Mille Miglia. One of these two Auto Avio Costruzioni Tipo 815 survived and its story is told here and illustrated with historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

No racing?
"Return" under a new name
A new team
A welcome opportunity
An interested sponsor
Tight schedule
A new eight-cylinder
Bodywork from Touring
From model to finished car
Test drives on public roads
No racing success
Financial success for Ascari
End in the scrapyard
Short-tail version survived

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The relationship between Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo was sometimes successful and always turbulent, beginning in 1920 and ending on September 6, 1939, when Alfa Romeo boss Ugo Gobbato informed Enzo that his services as a consultant were no longer required, a year and a half before the contract was due to expire. Gobbato thus practically liquidated Scuderia Ferrari in order to organize all future racing activities in-house. However, this early termination of the contract with Ferrari cost Alfa Romeo dearly. Gobbati wrote at the time, using Italy's entry into the war as an excuse: "While we would like to express our regret that, due to the circumstances, we no longer need their support, we would like to assure you that we greatly appreciate the work they have done for Alfa Romeo over the last 20 years. We are pleased that the contract could be terminated in a friendly and fair manner to the satisfaction of both parties."

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