Carrozzeria Sports Cars

Last updated
Carrozzeria Sports Cars
Formerly
  • Sports Cars Carrozzeria di Marchesini, Cavalieri e Drogo S.d.f.
  • Sports Cars di Benedetti & Cie.
  • Sports Cars di Drogo Piero e Allegretti Mario S.d.f.
Company type Privately held company
Industry Automotive
PredecessorMarchesini & Cavalieri S.d.f.
FoundedNovember 1, 1960;63 years ago (1960-11-01) in Modena, Italy
Founder
DefunctDecember 31, 1971 (1971-12-31)
FateBankrupted
Successor
  • Sports Cars S.a.s. di Drogo & Vassallo
  • Carrozzeria ABS
Headquarters
Italy
Key people
 Piero Drogo, Mario Allegretti
Services
From left: Mario Allegretti, Giotto Bizzarrini and Piero Drogo. 1964 Bizzarrini Drogo.jpg
From left: Mario Allegretti, Giotto Bizzarrini and Piero Drogo.
Ferrari 250 GT Coupe rebodied by Drogo 1958 Ferrari 250GT Drogo (16465841957).jpg
Ferrari 250 GT Coupé rebodied by Drogo
Ferrari 330 P4 Ferrari 330 P4 1967.jpg
Ferrari 330 P4

Carrozzeria Sports Cars was a small carrozzeria in Modena, Italy, which produced sports and racing car bodies from 1960 until 1971. The company was founded by one-time Formula One driver, Piero Drogo along with coachbuilders Lino Marchesini and Celso Cavalieri. As the public face of the company, Drogo's name became synonymous with the cars produced by C.S.C., which are often referred to as "Drogo" bodies or designs. The workshop constructed bodies for many companies, racing teams and individuals including Scuderia Ferrari, Scuderia Serenissima, Iso and Giotto Bizzarrini. Financial difficulties led to the closure of Carrozzeria Sports Cars in 1971. [1]

Contents

History

Carrozzeria Sports Cars began in 1960, when Piero Drogo entered into a partnership in Lino Marchesini and Celso Cavalieri's preexisting company, "Marchesini & Cavalieri S.d.f". Shortly thereafter, the business' name was changed to "Sports Cars Carrozzeria di Marchesini, Cavalieri e Drogo S.d.f." This business would become commonly known as Carrozzeria Sports Cars, although it changed legal names several times during its existence. In 1963 the company became known as "Sports Cars di Benedetti & Cie." after new co-owner Otello Benedetti. In 1970, the name was changed again to "Sports Cars di Drogo Piero e Allegretti Mario S.d.f." [1] : 12, 14 

Carrozzeria Sports Cars was located in Modena, near the original site of the Autodromo di Modena. The workshop was located at the following addresses: [1] : 25 

By 1971, Carrozzeria Sports Cars was facing financial difficulties due to high material/labor costs and a capital shortage. In June 1971, Drogo published an editorial in the magazine Autosprint titled "Modena S.O.S.", [2] which appealed to private and/or public investment to assist C.S.C. and other small Modenese manufacturers facing economic ruin. Drogo's efforts to save the business were ultimately unsuccessful and C.S.C. declared bankruptcy on December 31, 1971. [1] : 15 

After the dissolution of the Carrozzeria in 1971, Piero Drogo briefly ran a dealership under the name "Sports Cars S.a.s. di Drogo & Vassallo" on the same premises previously used by C.S.C. Former C.S.C. employees founded and/or worked in many other small carrozzeria in the Modena area, including Carrozzeria ABS (founded by ex-C.S.C. employees Allegretti and Bonifatti) which shared premises with Sports Cars S.a.s., [1] : 15  Carrozzeria Sport (no "s") Cars (founded by Walter Giusti and another ex-Drogo employee) [3] [1] : 25  and Bacchelli & Villa (a.k.a. Carrozzeria Auto Sport, founded by Franco Bacchelli and Roberto Villa). [4] [5] [6]

Customers

Carrozzeria Sports Cars operated from 1960 to late 1971, during which time the company produced low-volume or one-off bodywork for many Italian automakers as well as racing teams and individuals. C.S.C. customers included Scuderia Ferrari, Giotto Bizzarrini, Iso, Scuderia Serenissima, ASA, NART, Ecurie Francorchamps and others. [1] : 12–14, 22 

During 1966 and 1967, Carrozzeria Sports Cars worked in close collaboration with Scuderia Ferrari to produce bodies for several racing cars. C.S.C had previously been contracted by Scuderia Ferrari to modify the noses of several 250 LMs as an aerodynamic improvement for the 1965 racing season. [1] : 112  Beginning in 1966, this working relationship was deepened as C.S.C. craftsmen were hired to produce bodies for the 330 P3, 330 P4, Dino 206 S and 365 P2/3 racing sports cars. According to ex-Ferrari engineer Giacomo Caliri, these bodies were designed by Ferrari engineer Edmondo Casoli and aerodynamic specialist Caliri. They were then built by C.S.C. employees Otello Benedetti, Edmondo Meletti and Mario Allegretti, working on-site at the Scuderia Ferrari workshops. In June 1967, Casoli was transferred to the Ferrari technical office for production cars and Caliri became lead designer of racing sports car bodies. At Caliri's suggestion, the C.S.C. employees were hired directly by Ferrari and C.S.C.'s business relationship with Scuderia Ferrari ended. [1] : 36 

Staff

Piero Drogo was the most well-known member of Carrozzeria Sports Cars, with his name often used as a synonym for the company (e.g. "Drogo-bodied"). While multiple other partners and employees joined and left C.S.C, Drogo was part of the company from 1960 until its bankruptcy in 1971. From the beginning of Carrozzeria Sports Cars, Piero Drogo's role was primarily in managing business operations. His duties included sales, public relations and administration. [1] : 12, 18  Although C.S.C-designed cars are sometimes described as designed or bodied by Drogo, [7] he was not an auto body craftsman nor was he an automobile designer. It is a common misconception that Drogo designed automobile bodies. In his role as the manager of C.S.C., Drogo became well known in Modena and used his contacts in the racing world to attract business. Because of his status as the public face of the company, C.S.C. became commonly referred to as "Drogo" by customers and associates. [1] : 14, 18, 164 

Drogo's initial partners in C.S.C. were Lino Marchesini and Celso Cavalieri, both skilled auto body craftsmen whose pre-existing company was the basis for the formation of C.S.C. Marchesini was previously employed by Scaglietti. Celso Cavalieri was a co-owner of the company from the founding until 1963. Following Cavalieri's departure in 1963, Drogo and Marchesini were joined by Otello Benedetti (ex-Scuderia Ferrari), Mario Allegretti (ex-Reparto Corse Maserati) and Egidio Bonfatti (ex-Carrozzeria Mariani), all of whom had stakes as financial partners in the company. Marchesini left the company in 1969, followed by Benedetti in 1970. [1] : 12–14, 22 

Other Carrozzeria Sports Cars employees included Franco Bacchelli, Roberto Villa, Darles Bussetti, Elis Garuti, Walter Giusti, Ivano Ferri, and Edmondo Meletti. [1] : 22  [5] [3]

Design and fabrication methods

The portfolio of car body designs produced by Carrozzeria Sports Cars cannot be attributed to a single person. While some sources attribute the designs to Piero Drogo, he was not a skilled body fabricator or designer. It is likely that the craftspeople employed by the carrozzeria had equal or greater influence to Drogo on the original designs produced by the carrozzeria. It was common practice among small auto body manufacturers during the period to work out design details "by hand" during the fabrication process. For many designs executed this way, the end product was the result of collaboration and improvisation during the fabrication process, without an individual designer or fixed schematic. Many of the C.S.C. original designs borrowed design elements from other vehicles such as the Ferrari 250 GTO and 250 LM, synthesizing these various inspirations in order to improve aerodynamic performance and satisfy their clients' aesthetic sensibilities. [1] : 17–18, 32–33 

In addition to these original designs, many C.S.C. bodies were designed by clients and made to order, such as the Scuderia Ferrari-designed 330 P4 and Giotto Bizzarrini's Iso A3C and 250 GT SWB Breadvan. These designs could vary widely in style. For example, the angular bodies that Mario Tadini designed for a 250 GT SWB [8] and a Jaguar E-type [9] contrast sharply with the curvaceous Ferrari-designed racing cars, even though both were built by C.S.C. craftsmen. [1] : 17–18, 32–33, 198, 202 

All automobile bodies constructed by Carrozzeria Sports Cars were fabricated using to the traditional, handmade techniques that were common in small Modenese carrozzeria from the post-WWII period through the 1960s. At the beginning of the fabrication process, the workshop constructed full-size wire framework in the shape of the body to be built, called a filon or manichein. This was used as the reference for the final design, and often replaced any schematics or models for those bodies designed in-house. Body panels were then individually cut and shaped using hand tools and shears, benders, rollers and mechanical hammers. Once the panel shape matched the filon, it was then attached to other panels/framework and the chassis, via welding, rivets or other mechanical fasteners. This extremely labor-intensive method required an average of 40-50 working hours to complete one body. As labor costs rose, C.S.C. and many other small auto body manufacturers closed as it was no longer economical to construct bodies in this manner. [1] : 17–18 

Notable cars

1961 Maserati Tipo 61 "C.D.M." with body by Carrozzeria Sports Cars Collection Panini Maserati 0035.JPG
1961 Maserati Tipo 61 "C.D.M." with body by Carrozzeria Sports Cars

According to historians Jack Koobs de Hartog and Marc de Rijck, Carrozzeria Sports Cars produced approximately 110 bodies, including over 50 unique body styles. [1] : 38  The following list includes both bodies designed and built by Carrozzeria Sports Cars and bodies constructed by C.S.C. according to third-party designs.

Related Research Articles

<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.

Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe. The former company Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale was an Italian automobile coachbuilder established in 1948 at Via Cigliano, Turin, by Alfredo Vignale (1913–69). After its founder's death in 1969, Carrozzeria Vignale was acquired by De Tomaso. The studio ceased operation in 1973, but ownership of the name was taken over by Ford Motor Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASA (automobile)</span> Motor vehicle

ASA was an Italian automobile manufacturer active from 1961 to 1969, who is known for manufacturing the ASA 1000 GT. This car was developed by Ferrari engineers in the late 1950s as a less expensive, compact alternative to existing Ferrari GT cars. ASA used inline-four and straight-six engines derived from the "250" 3-litre V12 designed by Gioacchino Colombo. The chassis was developed by Giotto Bizzarrini and was derived from the tubular frame chassis of the 250 GTO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 250 GTO</span> Car model

The Ferrari 250 GTO is a grand tourer produced by Ferrari from 1962 to 1964 for homologation into the FIA's Group 3 Grand Touring Car category. It was powered by Ferrari's Tipo 168/62 Colombo V12 engine. The "250" in its name denotes the displacement in cubic centimeters of each of its cylinders; "GTO" stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, Italian for "Grand Touring Homologated".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrozzeria Scaglietti</span> Italian automobile design and coachbuilding company

Carrozzeria Scaglietti was an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding company active in the 1950s. It was founded by Sergio Scaglietti in 1951 as an automobile repair concern, but was located across the road from Ferrari in Maranello outside Modena, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera</span> Italian automobile coachbuilder

Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera is an Italian automobile coachbuilder. Originally established in Milan in 1925, Carrozzeria Touring became well known for both the beauty of its designs and patented superleggera construction methods. The business folded in 1966. In 2006 its brands and trademarks were purchased and a new firm was established nearby to provide automotive design, engineering, coachbuilding, homologation services, non-automotive industrial design, and restoration of historic vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 250</span> Series of sports cars and grand tourers built by Ferrari from 1952 to 1964

The Ferrari 250 is a series of sports cars and grand tourers built by Ferrari from 1952 to 1964. The company's most successful early line, the 250 series includes many variants designed for road use or sports car racing. 250 series cars are characterized by their use of a 3.0 L (2,953 cc) Colombo V12 engine designed by Gioacchino Colombo. They were replaced by the 275 and 330 series cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piero Drogo</span> Italian racing driver (1926–1973)

Piero Drogo was a racing driver and coachbuilder from Italy. He participated in one Formula One Grand Prix, debuting at the 1960 Italian Grand Prix. He moved on to form a carrozzeria in Modena to service the thriving sports car industry there. His Carrozzeria Sports Cars gained some fame later in the decade. He died in a car accident aged 46.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iso (automobile)</span> Italian automobile manufacturer

ISO Rivolta is an Italian car and motorbike manufacturer active in the motor vehicle sector since 1938. Over the years, the company has taken various names, including Isothermos, Iso Autoveicoli Spa in 1952, Iso Rivolta in 1962, Iso Motors in 1973 and, in 2017, a return to ISO Rivolta.

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

Bizzarrini S.p.A. was an Italian automotive manufacturer. In 1964, the company was founded by former Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Iso engineer Giotto Bizzarrini. The company built a small number of highly developed and advanced sports and racing automobiles before failing in 1969. In 2020, it was announced that the name had been acquired by Pegasus brands, together with plans to restart production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giotto Bizzarrini</span> Italian automobile engineer (1926–2023)

Giotto Bizzarrini was an Italian automobile engineer who was active from the 1950s through the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa</span> Racing sports car built by Ferrari from 1957 to 1961

The Ferrari250 Testa Rossa, or 250 TR, is a racing sports car built by Ferrari from 1957 to 1961. It was introduced at the end of the 1957 racing season in response to rule changes that enforced a maximum engine displacement of 3 litres for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Sports Car Championship races. The 250 TR was closely related to earlier Ferrari sports cars, sharing many key components with other 250 models and the 500 TR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Volpi</span>

Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata is an Italian-Algerian nobleman and a former automobile racing manager and Formula One team owner. He inherited a fortune, at the age of 24, from his father, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, a politician financier and founder of the renowned Venice Film Festival. During World War II, Giovanni Volpi's father served in Benito Mussolini's cabinet as the minister of Finance and one of his chief advisors. He designed several of Mussolini's austerity measures and escaped prosecution after the war. His father also acquired and restored Villa Barbaro at Maser, Italy, built originally for the Barbaro family. Giovanni Volpi is the son of Giuseppe and his second wife, Nathalie El Kanoni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan</span> One-off racing car

The Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan is a one-off Ferrari made in 1962 from a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB, chassis number 2819 GT. It was built to compete against the new 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and other FIA World Sportscar Championship races.

Carrozzeria Allemano was an automobile coachbuilder in Turin, Italy, owned by Serafino Allemano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medardo Fantuzzi</span> Italian automobile designer

Medardo Fantuzzi (1906–1986) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for his Carrozzeria Fantuzzi body workshop.

Neri and Bonacini, also known as Nembo, was a small carrozzeria and mechanic shop based in Modena, Italy, active from the late 1950s to around 1967. Founded and run by Giorgio Neri and Luciano Bonacini, the shop worked on and produced bodies for Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati road and race cars, both in an official capacity for those manufacturers and for private owners. Their best known projects are the Ferrari 250 GT-based Nembo spiders and the Lamborghini 400GT Monza. Neri and Bonacini also designed a car under their own name, the Neri and Bonacini Studio GT Due Litri. Two prototypes of this car were made between 1966 and 1968 but it never entered series production. The shop closed around 1967 when Bonacini went to work for De Tomaso and Neri started his own shop, Motors-World-Machines (MWM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 330 TRI/LM</span> 1962 racing sports car

The Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Spyder is a unique racing sports car purpose-built in 1962 by Ferrari to achieve victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was the last Ferrari racing sports car with a front-mounted engine and the last of a series of Ferrari race cars known as the Testa Rossas. The "I" in its designation indicates that the car has an independent rear suspension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari 250 GT Coupé</span> 1954–1960 grand touring car produced by Ferrari

The Ferrari 250 GT Coupé represented a series of road-going, grand touring cars produced by Ferrari between 1954 and 1960. Presented at the 1954 Paris Motor Show, the 250 Europa GT was the first in the GT-lineage. The design by Pinin Farina was seen as a more civilised version of their sporty Berlinetta 250 MM. Series built cars were an answer to the wealthy clientele demands of a sporty and luxurious Ferrari Gran Turismo, that is also easier to use daily.

Thomas Meade was an American automobile designer and dealer best known for his Thomassima series of custom cars based on Ferrari engines and chassis. He was based in Modena, Italy from the early 1960s through the early 1970s, where he met and collaborated with many Modenese carrozzerie, manufacturers and mechanics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Koobs de Hartog, Jack; De Rijck, Mark (2015). Drogo: Official Coachbuilder of the Scuderia Ferrari. Jack Koobs de Hartog.
  2. ↑ Drogo, Piero (7–14 June 1971). "Modena S.O.S.". Autosprint (in Italian). 23.
  3. 1 2 "History | SportCarsModena" (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  4. ↑ Bluemel, Keith (2017-11-15). "Famed Carrozzeria, Bacchelli & Villa, Enters New Era". Cavallino. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  5. 1 2 "Carrozzeria Auto Sport: The fine art of coachbuilding". www.classicdriver.com. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  6. ↑ Fragale, Martina (2018-12-18). "Carrozzeria Autosport - Capitolo 1". International Classic (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  7. ↑ "1960 Ferrari 250 - GT Drogo". www.classicdriver.com. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  8. ↑ "COACHBUILD.COM - Drogo Ferrari 250 GT SWB #2065GT 1960". www.coachbuild.com. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  9. 1 2 "COACHBUILD.COM - Drogo Jaguar E-type #886294 1962". www.coachbuild.com. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  10. 1 2 Varisco, Franco (2004). ASA : l'epopea della Ferrarina (in Italian). Vimodrone (Milano): G. Nada. ISBN   88-7911-334-8. OCLC   56973852.
  11. ↑ "De Sanctis SP 1000 sport | Gulfblue Rondinelli". gulfblue (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  12. ↑ "1966 Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder by Carrozzeria Sports Cars". rmsothebys.com. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  13. ↑ Ernst, Kurt (7 July 2014). "Drogo-bodied Ferrari 330 GT Navarro Special heads to auction". www.hemmings.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  14. ↑ "COACHBUILD.COM - Drogo Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage #2472 1961". www.coachbuild.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
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.