The breadvan was the nickname given to a Ferrari modified by Bizzarrini on behalf of Count Volpi when Ferrari refused to sell Volpi a 250GTO because he was backing the new ATS team.
Bizzarrini's last project before he left Ferrari was the 250GTO, so Volpi got him (and the others who left at the same time) to recreate a better car.
Bizzarrini was a friend of Count Volpi's but did not design the Serenissima 308 as he was working for ASA by then.
But given the resemablance to it and the ISO Bizzarrini 5300 its hard not think there remained some link.
The engine was, I think, labeled ATS
the engine was not to an ATS, but home built by Serenissima. As you say it was not a success being a bit under powered and went thru a couple of versions, but the 3 litre one did power Bruce McLarens first F1 car before being dumped
I'd like to fill in a few gaps on the story of this car- even though most car buffs have never even heard of it it is quite an important little milestone in Italian sportscar history. Its a rather complicated story but rather compelling. I'll try and keep it brief......
Giorgio Billi and and Argentinian Jaime Ortiz Patino form the snappily titled 'Societa Per Azioni Automobili Turismo e Sport Serenissima' in the turn of the sixties in Bologna. A 20 year old Count Volpi then takes a 20% share in the company soon after and suggests a name change to 'Automobili Turismo e Sport' or ATS. They build 11 rather pretty sportscars, a sports prototype and a rather poor F1 car before going bankrupt in late '64. During this time Carlo Chitti and Bizzarini arrive in '62 after the ferrari walkout and amongst other projects they build the now famous Ferrari Breadvan.
Count Volpi then returns as Automobili Serenissima and teams up with Sterling Moss' spanner man Alf Francis and ex-ATS engine man Alberto Massimino to show Billi and Chitti they could build a better sportscar. Massimino brings with him plans from his ATS days of a quad cam 3 litre V8 engine- aborted due to lack of funding. He also designs the gearbox from scratch. Body was styled by ex FIAT and Pininfarina man Franco Salomone (who penned the Ferrari 275 GTB). The new car, named the 308 Jet Coupe is tested by a dismissive Paul Frere in early '65 and a comprehensive re- design is required before its first appearance at the '65 Le Mans test weekend. Unfortunately the car sucks and is 50 seconds a lap slower than the fastest Ferraris and the project is canned.
Alf Francis then does a deal and the engine is removed and fitted in the back of Bruce McLarens first F1 car. It is a huge dissapointment and fails in its first race. The engine is hastily re-built and holds on to bring Bruce a 6th at the British Grand Prix- McLarens first ever world champion constructors point.
The Serenissima, now engine-less is sold to Piero Drogo and dissapears for almost 30 years in Switzerland. The now tired engine then goes to Kansas with Francis and is instaled in a Lola Mk6 GT (believed to be one of the Ford GT40 development hacks) and is raced until 1978 in various club events, it is sold to Drogo and re-united with the car (which by now wears chassis number 003)
Meanwhile our man Volpi now teams up with Alessandro de Tomaso and they re-name the company Serenissima Automobili and commision a young Tom Tjaarda to design a car which is named the Agema. Count Volpi then panics when the tooling costs spiral out of control leaving De Tomaso to go it alone. the car becomes the De Tomaso Mangusta. Serenissima limps on until 1970 as a race entrant with a Can Am McLaren, which Volpi enters in various races for Jonathan Williams- until Williams walks away to race the Solar productions Porsche of Steve McQueen at that years Le Mans. The protype Agema still hangs from a wall on a rack inside Count Volpi's castle to this day.
Chassis 003- The 308 Jet, the only one built was restored in 2004 by Noel Rieben and Millenium Racing in Switzerland. It still wears its original paint and made its first public appearence in almost 40 years at the 2006 Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza. It still owned by Piero Drogo to this day.
I hope I haven't bored you to death with the story of that little car. Never a success but never the less a very important car.
S
