Auto Avio Costruzioni 815
Encyclopedia
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.
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 for the Italian government
In December 1939, AAC was commissioned by Lotario, Marquis di Modena
, to build and prepare two racing cars for him and Alberto Ascari
to drive in the 1940 Brescia Grand Prix. The race, a successor to the Mille Miglia
, was to be run in April 1940. The resulting car was named the AAC Tipo 815.
and Vittorio Bellentani
and by Enrico Nardi
. The designation "815" was based on the car's eight cylinder, 1.5 L engine. This engine was largely based on the four cylinder, 1.1 L engine of the 508 C Balilla 1100
. 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 engine used Fiat valve gear, cylinder heads (two 508C heads per engine), and connecting rods. The engine was high-tech for the time, with a single overhead camshaft, two valves per cylinder, and a semi-dry sump
lubrication system. Four Weber 30DR2 carburettors were specified for a total output of 75 hp at 5500 rpm.
The 815 used a Fiat four-speed transmission with the Fiat gears replaced by gears made in-house bt AAC. The transmission was integral to the engine block. The car had independent Dubonnet suspension
with integral shock absorber
at front, with a live axle
on semi-elliptic leaf spring
s and hydraulic shock absorber
s at the rear.
The bodywork was done by Carrozzeria Touring
using Itallumag 35, an aluminium/magnesium alloy, and was done in long, flowing forms with integrated wings. The bodywork weighed 119 lb (54 kg). The complete car weighed 625 kg (1,377.9 lb) and attained a maximum speed close to 170 km/h (105.6 mph).
and his brother, Rolando, inherited car no. 020. The car was scrapped in 1958.
Ascari's car, no. 021, was sold to racer Enrico Beltracchini who raced it in 1947. After selling the car to a museum and then buying it back, Beltracchini sold it again to Mario Righini. As at 2006, Type 815 no. 021 was still in Righini's collection.
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian race car driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari car manufacturer...
. Legal issues with former associates Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
prevented Ferrari from creating the Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
marque. The 815 raced at the 1940 Brescia Grand Prix
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
, 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.
Background
In 1938, Ferrari left Alfa Romeo after running Scuderia FerrariScuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
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 for the Italian government
In December 1939, AAC was commissioned by Lotario, Marquis di Modena
Lotario Rangoni
Lotario Rangoni Machiavelli was an Italian car racer.1He was born in Florence descending from Modenese and Florentine nobility...
, to build and prepare two racing cars for him and Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari....
to drive in the 1940 Brescia Grand Prix. The race, a successor to the Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
, was to be run in April 1940. The resulting car was named the AAC Tipo 815.
Details
The 815 was designed and developed by ex-Alfa Romeo engineers Alberto MassiminoAlberto Massimino
Alberto Massimino was an Italian automotive engineer.Born in Turin, he studied mechanical engineering in Switzerland and worked for FIAT , where he followed Vittorio Jano who had left for Alfa Romeo. The 1500 cc, 12-cylinder 806/504 was driven by Pietro Bordino in the Gran Premio di Milano...
and Vittorio Bellentani
Vittorio Bellentani
Vittorio Bellentani was an Italian automobile engineer and racing driver.He studied in Germany at University of Freiburg before joining Enzo Ferrari in 1940, where he first worked on the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 .He then worked for Maserati , developing the Maserati A6 , and Maserati 250F, that...
and by Enrico Nardi
Enrico Nardi
Enrico Nardi was an Italian racing car driver, engineer and designer.He worked at Lancia between 1929 and 1937 as a truck engineer, racing car driver, and later, advisor to Vincenzo Lancia...
. The designation "815" was based on the car's eight cylinder, 1.5 L engine. This engine was largely based on the four cylinder, 1.1 L engine of the 508 C Balilla 1100
Fiat 508
The 508 was a car introduced by Fiat in 1932. It effectively replaced the Fiat 509, although production of the earlier model had ceased back in 1929. It had a three-speed transmission , seated four, and had a top speed of about . It sold for 10,800 lire...
. 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 engine used Fiat valve gear, cylinder heads (two 508C heads per engine), and connecting rods. The engine was high-tech for the time, with a single overhead camshaft, two valves per cylinder, and a semi-dry sump
Dry sump
A dry sump is a lubricating motor oil management method for four-stroke and large two-stroke piston internal combustion engines that uses external pumps and a secondary external reservoir for oil, as compared to a conventional wet sump system....
lubrication system. Four Weber 30DR2 carburettors were specified for a total output of 75 hp at 5500 rpm.
The 815 used a Fiat four-speed transmission with the Fiat gears replaced by gears made in-house bt AAC. The transmission was integral to the engine block. The car had independent Dubonnet suspension
Dubonnet suspension
Dubonnet suspension was a system of independent front suspension and steering popular mainly in the 1930s and 1940s. Not very durable unless exactingly maintained, it was soon replaced by other versions. It consisted of a rigidly mounted axle beam in which the sprung steering and suspension arms...
with integral shock absorber
Shock absorber
A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
at front, with a live axle
Live axle
A live axle, sometimes called a solid axle, is a type of beam axle suspension system that uses the driveshafts that transmit power to the wheels to connect the wheels laterally so that they move together as a unit....
on semi-elliptic leaf spring
Leaf spring
Originally called laminated or carriage spring, a leaf spring is a simple form of spring, commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles...
s and hydraulic shock absorber
Shock absorber
A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
s at the rear.
The bodywork was done by Carrozzeria Touring
Carrozzeria Touring
Carrozzeria Touring is an automobile coachbuilder established on March 25, 1926 in Milan, Italy by Felice Bianchi Anderloni and Gaetano Ponzoni...
using Itallumag 35, an aluminium/magnesium alloy, and was done in long, flowing forms with integrated wings. The bodywork weighed 119 lb (54 kg). The complete car weighed 625 kg (1,377.9 lb) and attained a maximum speed close to 170 km/h (105.6 mph).
Performance at 1940 Brescia Grand Prix
Two 815s, numbers 020 and 021, were completed and entered in the 1940 Brescia Grand Prix, which ran nine laps of a 103 miles (165.8 km) street circuit. Rangoni and Nardi raced in 020, while Ascari and Giuseppe Minozzi raced in 021. After leading the 1500 cc class in the first lap, Ascari's car developed valve problems and broke down. 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 failed after seven laps.After the Second World War
Lotario Rangoni died during the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and his brother, Rolando, inherited car no. 020. The car was scrapped in 1958.
Ascari's car, no. 021, was sold to racer Enrico Beltracchini who raced it in 1947. After selling the car to a museum and then buying it back, Beltracchini sold it again to Mario Righini. As at 2006, Type 815 no. 021 was still in Righini's collection.