Auto Avio Costruzioni 815

Last updated
Auto Avio Costruzioni 815
Car Musee Enzo Ferrari 0063.JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Auto Avio Costruzioni
Production1940
2 produced
Assembly Modena, Italy
Designer Alberto Massimino, Vittorio Bellentani
Body and chassis
Class Sports car
Body style 2-seat barchetta
Powertrain
Engine 1.5 L (1496 cc) OHV I8
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,420 mm (95.3 in)
Curb weight 625 kg (1,378 lb)
Chronology
Successor Ferrari 125 S

The Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 was the first car to be fully designed and built by Enzo Ferrari. Legal issues with former associates Alfa Romeo prevented Ferrari from creating the Ferrari marque. The 815 raced at the 1940 Brescia Grand Prix, where both entries failed to finish due to engine problems. One of the cars was later scrapped, while the other is currently in a car collection in Italy.

Contents

Background

In 1938, Ferrari left Alfa Romeo after running Scuderia Ferrari as their racing division. The agreement ending their association forbade Ferrari from restarting Scuderia Ferrari within the next four years. Ferrari then founded Auto Avio Costruzioni (AAC) in Modena to manufacture aircraft parts and machine tools for the Italian government. [1] AAC specialized in the production of hydraulic grinding machines used to produce ball bearings. The company established business partnerships with other Italian firms, including Compagnia Nazionale Aeronautica and Piaggio. [2]

In December 1939, AAC was commissioned by Lotario Rangoni  [ it ] to build and prepare two racing cars for him and Alberto Ascari to drive in the 1940 Mille Miglia. The race, which was officially named the Grand Prix of Brescia, was to be run in April 1940. [1] The resulting car was named the AAC Tipo 815. [3]

Details

The 815 was designed and developed by ex-Alfa Romeo engineers Alberto Massimino and Vittorio Bellentani, advised by test driver Enrico Nardi. [1] [4] The designation "815" was based on the car's eight-cylinder, 1.5 L (1,496 cc) engine bore/stroke of 63 mm × 60 mm (2.48 in × 2.36 in). [1] [3] This engine was largely based on the four-cylinder, 1.1 L engine of the Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. [1] [5] In concept, it was two 508C engines placed end to end, but it used a specially designed aluminium block built by Fonderia Calzoni in Bologna for integrity and light weight and a five-bearing crankshaft and a camshaft designed and built by AAC to get the traditional straight-8 timing and balance. The compression ratio was increased to 7:1 from 6:1 in the original Fiat engine. [4] : 25  The engine used Fiat valve gear, cylinder heads (two 508C heads per engine), and connecting rods. [1] Instead of the two original Fiat distributors, AAC manufactured a single distributor to avoid synchronization issues. [4] : 23  The engine was high-tech for the time, with a single camshaft in block, two valves per cylinder, and a semi-dry sump lubrication system. [5] Four Weber 30DR2 carburettors were specified [1] [5] for a total output of 75 hp (56 kW) at 5500 rpm. [1]

The 815 used a Fiat four-speed transmission with the Fiat gears replaced by gears made in-house by AAC. [1] The transmission was integral to the engine block. [5] The car had independent Dubonnet suspension with integral shock absorber at front, with a live axle on semi-elliptic leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers at the rear. [1]

As Mille Miglia regulations required that racing car chassis be based on production models, the AAC 815's chassis was also derived from the Fiat 508 C Balilla. [6]

The bodywork was done by Carrozzeria Touring using Itallumag 35, an aluminium/magnesium alloy, [1] and was done in long, flowing forms with integrated wings. [5] The bodywork weighed 119 lb (54 kg). [1] The complete car weighed 625 kg (1,378 lb) and attained a maximum speed close to 170 km/h (110 mph). [5] Chassis 020, built for Rangoni, was fully trimmed in leather and had luxuriously detailed exterior trim, including extra chrome and a recessed fuel filler cap. Ascari's car, 021, was more spartan. Touring also developed a design for a proposed convertible version of the 815. Drawings and a scale model were produced but this was not further developed due to the onset of World War II. [4] : 35–36 

Performance at 1940 Brescia Grand Prix

Both AAC 815s at the 1940 Mille Miglia. #65 (front) is Lotario Rangoni and co-driver Enrico Nardi, #66 (back) is Alberto Ascari and co-driver Giovanni Minozzi. 1940-04-28 Mille Miglia Auto Avio Rangoni e Ascari.jpg
Both AAC 815s at the 1940 Mille Miglia. #65 (front) is Lotario Rangoni and co-driver Enrico Nardi, #66 (back) is Alberto Ascari and co-driver Giovanni Minozzi.

Two 815s, numbers 020 and 021, were completed and entered in the 1940 Brescia Grand Prix, which ran nine laps of a 103 miles (166 km) street circuit. Rangoni and Nardi raced in 020, while Ascari and Giovanni Minozzi raced in 021. Minozzi was Ascari's cousin, who participated in many races during the 1920s and 30s without any major wins. [4] : 72–73  After leading the 1500 cc class in the first lap, Ascari's car developed a broken rocker arm and retired. Rangoni then took the lead, set the lap record for the class, and had a lead of more than half an hour when his engine or rear axle failed after seven laps. [1] [4] : 60–61 

After the Second World War

Further development and production of the 815 was indefinitely stopped when Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940. During the war years, the company focused on machine tool production, although Enzo Ferrari continued to plan future racing car production. [4] : 77–79 

Car no. 020 was sent to a scrapyard by Lotario Rangoni in 1938, following an accident. Lotario died during the Second World War and his brother, Rolando, inherited the car. Rolando attempted to recover the car from the scrapyard in 1958. After locating the car and confirming its identity with Enzo Ferrari, he returned to collect it only to find it had been crushed during his absence, irreversibly destroying it. [2] [1] [5]

Ascari's car, no. 021, was sold to racer Enrico Beltracchini [1] [5] who raced it in 1947. [1] After selling the car to a museum and then buying it back, Beltracchini sold it again to Mario Righini. [1] As of 2020, Type 815 no. 021 was still in Righini's collection, housed at Castelfranco Emilia near Modena.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo</span> Italian automotive manufacturer

Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe. It was founded on 24 June 1910 in Milan, Italy, as A.L.F.A., an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. The brand is known for sport-oriented vehicles and has been involved in car racing since 1911. As of 2023 it is a subsidiary of the multinational automotive manufacturing corporation Stellantis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enzo Ferrari</span> Italian racing driver, engineer and entrepreneur (1898–1988)

Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari was an Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque. He was widely known as il Commendatore or il Drake. In his final years he was often referred to as l'Ingegnere or il Grande Vecchio.

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. It is the oldest surviving and most successful Formula One team, having competed in every world championship since 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maranello</span> Comune in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Maranello is a comune (municipality) in the province of Modena, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 17,504 as of 2017. It is known worldwide as the home of Ferrari and the Formula One racing team, Scuderia Ferrari. Maranello was also home to coachbuilding firm Carrozzeria Scaglietti, owned by Ferrari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mille Miglia</span> Italian endurance road race

The Mille Miglia was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi. It took place in Italy 24 times from 1927 to 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand tourer</span> High-performance luxury car

A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement. Grand tourers are most often the coupé derivative of luxury saloons or sedans. Many iconic car models, such as the Ferrari 250 GT, Jaguar E-Type, and Aston Martin DB5, are considered classic examples of gran turismo cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari Colombo engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Ferrari Colombo Engine was a petrol fueled, water cooled, carburetted 60° V12 engine designed by Gioacchino Colombo and produced in numerous iterations by Italian automaker Ferrari between 1947 and 1988. The maker's first homegrown engine, its linear successor is the Lampredi V12, which it far outlived, the last Lampredi being made in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurelio Lampredi</span> Italian engineer

Aurelio Lampredi was an Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vittorio Jano</span> Italian automobile designer

Vittorio Jano was an Italian automobile designer of Hungarian descent from the 1920s through 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 125 S</span> 1.5 litre race car built in 1947 by Ferrari

The Ferrari 125 S was a 1.5 litre race car built in 1947 by automaker Ferrari in Modena, Italy. It was the company's first vehicle, which only two were made.

Ferrari is an Italian company which has produced sports cars since 1947, but traces its roots back to 1929 when Enzo Ferrari formed the Scuderia Ferrari racing team.

Vittorio Bellentani was an Italian automobile engineer and racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo P3</span> 1932 Grand Prix car

The Alfa Romeo P3, P3 monoposto or Tipo B was a classic Grand Prix car designed by Vittorio Jano, one of the Alfa Romeo 8C models. The P3 is considered to be the world's first genuine single-seat Grand Prix racing car and was Alfa Romeo's second monoposto after the Tipo A monoposto (1931). It was based on the earlier successful Alfa Romeo P2. Taking lessons learned from that car, Jano went back to the drawing board to design a car that could last longer race distances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo P2</span> Motor Vehicle

The Alfa Romeo P2 won the inaugural Automobile World Championship in 1925, taking victory in two of the four championship rounds when Antonio Ascari drove it in the European Grand Prix at Spa and Gastone Brilli-Peri won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza after Ascari died while leading the intervening race at Montlhery.

Alfa Corse is Alfa Romeo's factory racing team. Throughout the years, Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport, from Grand Prix motor racing to touring car racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enrico Nardi</span> Italian racing car driver and designer

Enrico Nardi was an Italian racing car driver and designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nardi (carmaker)</span> Italian automobile and racing car maker

Officine Nardi was an Italian automobile and racing car maker, named for their creator.

The 1924 French Grand Prix, officially named the XVIII Grand Prix de l'A.C.F., was a Grand Prix motor race held at Lyon on 3 August 1924 and the designated European Grand Prix of the 1924 season. The race took place over 35 laps of a shortened version of the circuit used in 1914 for a total distance of 810.09 km.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Antonietta Avanzo</span> Italian racetrack driver

Baroness Maria Antonietta Avanzo was the first Italian female racetrack driver. Widely regarded as "the most famous Italian woman racing driver of the inter-war period", she competed in numerous events throughout her career, including the Targa Florio and the Mille Miglia. In 1921, she famously drove a twelve-cylinder Packard 299 on the beach of the island of Fanø, in Denmark. All through her career she fought for the right to compete to motor racing events – until then largely reserved to men – and became an activist for women equality and a symbol of early feminism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari V12 F1 engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

Ferrari has made a number of V12 racing engines designed for Formula One; made between 1950 and 1995. Some derived engines were also used in various Ferrari sports prototype race cars and production road cars.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Hill, Phil (January 1992). Bryant, Thos. L (ed.). "Salon: The First Ferrari". Road & Track. 43 (5). Newport Beach, CA USA: Hachette Magazines: 96–99.
  2. 1 2 Borgomeo, Vincenzo (14 April 2020). "Ferrari Number Zero". The Official Ferrari Magazine. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  3. 1 2 Yates, Brock (1991). Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races. Doubleday. ISBN   0-385-26319-8.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Varisco, Franco (April 1990). 815, the genesis of Ferrari. London: Hyde Park Books for Ferrari World. ISBN   1-872718-01-9. OCLC   26309312.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Acerbi, Leonardo (2012). Ferrari: All The Cars. Haynes Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84425-581-8.
  6. ↑ Whitcombe, Charis (28 July 2015). "Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, the 'secret' first Ferrari". www.classicdriver.com. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.