Automotive

This Ferrari-Based One-Off Conciso Gets the Most Out of Being the Bare Minimum


Illustration for article titled This Ferrari-Based One-Off Conciso Gets the Most Out of Being the Bare Minimum
Screenshot: Jay Leno’s Garage

Back in 1993, German designer Bernd Michalak decided to build a one-off Ferrari-based concept to portray an “athletic with not an extra ounce” ideal. Starting with a nice low-mile 328 GTS, the car was stripped down to its most bare component parts. Once the lightweight body was developed, it was shown off at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show.

With little more than an engine and chassis wrapped in a thin aluminum body with no doors or windows, Michalak’s Conciso was the barest of bare. It carries no more than 2/3rds the original 328’s weight.

While it is based on a Ferrari, it has not been presented as a Ferrari until recently. After selling to an American collector in the early 1990s, and then selling off to a Belgian collector in 1998, the car stayed as an ornament in the owner’s living room wearing Michalak and Conciso badges, but the only Fezza badge was on the steering wheel hub. It was still this way just over a year ago when it was sold at RM Sotheby’s Monaco auction for 109,250 euros.

Ferrari is very particular about what cars do and don’t wear prancing horse badges, and this one appears to have not been granted approval. I presume that the gentleman in this video is the one who purchased the car from auction last year, and subsequently removed the original badges, replacing them with Ferrari bits. No lie, I’d absolutely do the same thing if it were me. This car looks infinitely better without Michalak’s tacky 1990s badges.

Considering that any one-off Ferrari these days is easily ballooned into the 7-figure price tag range, and have a wait list of over 4 years, this one seems like a bargain at just over 100 grand. Not to mention it has the awesome gated manual shifter, a 270 horsepower mid-mounted transverse N/A V8, and under 2000 pounds to shove around. This may well be my favorite Ferrari, and it’s not even officially a Ferrari. It’s damn cool.

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Jay Leno seems to love it. So do I

I’ll also give applause to the owner for driving the damn thing. Even if your car is a one-off, please drive it.

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