The Ferrari 328 Conciso is a bespoke one-off car built on the platform of the Ferrari 328 GTS. The new body was entirely shaped in aluminum alloy over a tubular steel frame to a design penned by famous German coachbuilder Bernd Michalak, his hope being that Ferrari could be convinced to produce a limited run of Concisos using the pre-existing Ferrari 328 architecture.
The production run never came to pass, but the Conciso made a huge impact when it was first shown to the public in 1993 at the Frankfurt Motor Show – and the fact that it’s 100% functional and road legal gives an indiction of just how in-depth the project was.
The Ferrari 328 GTB (coupe) and GTS (targa) was introduced in 1985 as a replacement for the 308 – the new model was closely based on the outgoing 308, so much so that people often get confused between the two.
Ferrari have a long history of using numbers derived from the engine to determine the model name, and the 328 was no different. It’s powered by a mid-mounted 3.2 litre V8 (3.2 8), its capacity increased over the 3.0 litre V8 (3.0 8) in its predecessor.
The Ferrari 328 used an updated version of the tubular steel frame from the 308, with steel body panels that were still largely shaped by hand by Scaglietti. The engine is a transversely mounted DOHC (per bank) alloy V8, with Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical injection, Marelli Microplex electronic ignition, a 9.8:1 compression ratio, and 270 hp / 304 Nm of torque. This engine was mated to a 5-speed transmission with a single plate clutch, and the car has rack and pinion steering.
Front and rear suspension is independent, with unequal-length wishbones, coil springs over telescopic shock absorbers, and anti-roll bars at both ends. Ferrari experts regard the 328 GTB/GTS as one of the best models to own due to its refinement, reliability, and the fact that major services can be done to the engine without removing it from the car – a significant cost saver.
The Conciso was a passion project for German designer Bernd Michalak, he developed it in 1993 as a “sport-barquette” version of the 328, with uncompromising styling and a kerb weight 30% lower than its production car donor.
Working out of the Bernd Michalak Design Studio, a highly-respected company in the field of prototype development, Bernd and his team drafted an uncompromising car with alloy bodywork, no roof, no doors, and a minimal windscreen.
The front and rear bodywork has a clam shell design, and occupants enter/exit the Conciso by stepping over the side bodywork. There are recesses in the internal sides of the cockpit for crash helmets, which you would probably want to wear as the car has no roll bar.
The Conciso currently has under 10,000 kms on the odometer, and it’s been owned by passionate collectors its entire life – the most recent of whom kept it in his living room on display.
Bonhams will be offering the Conciso at the Chantilly Sale on the 10th of September, and it’s being offered without reserve. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.