by Wallace Wyss –
What is the essence of a Ferrari? I mean if you boil it down, what can you take off a Ferrari and still have a running car that still is a Ferrari?
I think this custom from a few years ago is one answer to that question. It’s not a prototype–that word is reserved for a mockup that precedes a production car and the Ferrari 328 was already in production when this one off was made.
The basis is a 1989 Ferrari 328 now called the Conciso concept. It was built by Bernd Michalak’s Design Studio of Mainz, the order being to make it ‘athletic with not an extra ounce’.
It started with taking a low-mileage 328 GTS and removing everything, barring the original drivetrain and running gear. They clothed the chassis in an aluminum alloy bodyshell, featuring no doors, no weatherproofing, an impossibly low-cut windshield and a minimalist interior. A 30% weight savings ensued, which of course delivered significant performance gains 0–100 km/h in five seconds and a claimed top speed of 278 km/h.
Despite its winning second prize at the 1994 Eurosign Design Awards, only one 328 Conciso was ever built.
Michalak sold the car to a prestigious collection in North America where it lived until 1998. It then went to a Belgian collector, who displayed the car in his living room.
In 2014, it was given a full service and new tires and relicensed for the road. It was sold at auction with two original racing helmets, Belgian homologation documents, period photographs and Michalak design paraphernalia.
A unique piece of 1990s coachbuilding, this one-off special would be a compelling addition to any Ferrari collection.
On May 12th, 2018 at the RM Sotheby’s Monte Carlo auction, it fetched €109,250
which I don’t think is too much for a car that looks like a factory prototype.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss was invited by the Art Center College of Design to lecture on design history on three different occasions.
Photos compliments of RM Sotheby’s.
It looks much better than the donor car except for the front fenders. Did they run out of red paint?
The back end is round, but the front is angular, making the car seem contradictory.
this thing
isoooooooooooo ugly its an embarrasement to Enzo just saying.
Thank God only one 328 was injured while manufacturing this car!