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History of the car

 

95 hp, 1,032 cc overhead cam inline four-cylinder engine, twin two-barrel Weber carburettors, five-speed manual transmission, independent double wishbone and coil spring front, rigid axle with coil springs rear suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 86.6 in.

While it is very well-known that Enzo Ferrari insisted for a long time that road cars bearing his name had to have 12 cylinders, the desire to expand the income stream of his company in order to support its core racing activities led Ferrari to develop a small displacement engine in 1959. 

The finished engine, chassis, and prototype car, nicknamed ‘Ferrarina’, were shown at the Turin Auto Show in 1961 with a body by Bertone. Into the scene came racing drivers Gerino Gerini, Lorenzo Bandini, and Giancarlo Baghetti, who created a company called Autocostruzioni Societa per Azioni, or ASA. They recruited the Ferrari engineer in charge of the project, Giotto Bizzarrini, to join them, along with Oronzio and Niccolo de Nora, father and son Ferrari clients who owned a company manufacturing electromechanical components. They eagerly embraced the idea of building the car and production was set in one of their factories. 

At the 1962 Turin Show, the ASA 1000 GT appeared. Production began in 1964, and in a three year period, an estimated 50 to 75 ASA 1000s were built. Ultimately, the car, while well engineered and beautifully styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, was too expensive for what was after all a one-litre car.