ASA RB613 #54 – Spark

RB613
1966 ASA RB613 #54
Pilots: F. Pasquier, R. Mieusset
Team: North American Racing Team (NART)
Race: DNF (P 1.3 class) at Le Mans in 1966
Spark - S2955 (resin)

Published 07/28/23

The Italian manufacturer ASA (Autocostruzioni Società per Azioni) was active from 1961 to 1967, located in Milan. And it only came to be because of Ferrari. In the late 50s Ferrari began the 854 project. Nicknamed “Ferrarina” (little Ferrari), it would be a less expensive and compact alternative to existing Ferrari GT cars. The engine used would be the Tipo 122, an experimental inline-4 derived from the Colombo V12 from a Ferrari 212. In essence, it was a four-cylinder slice of the big V12, displacing 850 cm³, producing 68 hp (50 kW). The project evolved, eventually using the Tipo 125 and Tipo 126 engines, the latter displacing 953 cm³. Maranello produced one prototype, using a Fiat 1100 or 1200 chassis with a Pininfarina body. It was a pretty good daily-use car, to the point that old man Ferrari himself drove it around. 

RB613
Perhaps, if the 1000 GT had a better marketing campaign, things could have been different.

In 1960 the 1032 cm³ Tipo 144 replaced the Tipo 126, delivering 100 hp (75 kW). Based on the 854 project, this new prototype, called the “Mille”, was an entirely new car. The Mille, a 2-door fastback coupé designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, debuted at the 1961 Turin Auto Show. Though it looked a lot like contemporary Ferrari GT cars, it carried no mention to Ferrari. Despite strong positive feedback from the public, Ferrari had no intentions of producing the car. Enzo Ferrari did not want to associate his brand with a “popular car”. Moreover, Maranello did not have the factory capacity to produce the car on a large scale. With the car being a potential commercial success, Enzo Ferrari decided to outsource the project. Consequently, he contacted a close friend, Oronzio de Nora and his son, Niccolò de Nora. They formed a new company for this venture,  named ASA.

ASA made a solid car, yet it was expensive and was not flashy enough.

ASA’s first car would be the 1000 GT, almost the same “Mille” prototype, introducing it at the 1962 Turin Auto Show. However, production of the car only began in 1964. The 1000 GT used the Tipo 141 engine, a 1032 cm³ inline-4 delivering 91 horsepower (68 kW). The chassis was a tubular space frame designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, based on the 250 GTO. Covering the chassis was a steel body with aluminum hood and trunk lids, with the car weighing 780 kg. However, despite reportedly excellent driving dynamics and reliability, sales were low. The brand had little name recognition and the car was relatively expensive. So as a marketing strategy, ASA decided to go racing. In 1963 they came up with the 1000 GTC, followed in 1965 by the ASA Berlinetta 411. Yet, racing success was very limited for both models.

1966 was the only year an ASA car raced at La Sarthe.

In 1966 ASA produced four new racers, the RB613 (or Roll Bar 1300). The RB in the name came from the car’s roll bar integrated with the chassis. And the 613 part was because it had an inline-6 displacing 1.3 liters, producing around 126 hp (93 kW). And covering everything up was an aerodynamic fiberglass body designed by Luigi Chinetti Jr. and produced by Carrozzeria Corbetta. With the new RB613, ASA decided to face Le Mans in 1966. Two RB613 arrived at La Sarthe, one a factory ASA car and the other from Luigi Chinetti. Since Chinetti was the North American representative for ASA, it would be wise to race the car at Le Mans. Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART) consisted of three Ferrari (365 P2, 330 P3 and Dino 206 S) and the RB613. Unfortunately, none of his cars finished. His RB613 #54 crashed out on lap 50.

As usual, Spark delivered a heckuva model.

ASA’s cars never reached the expected success, and they probably made less than 100 cars of all types. And of course, their racing pedigree is totally lacking. Therefore, the RB613 is an oddball, even though I think it has some pretty good lines. In 143rd it looks terrific, maybe doesn’t call out as my last oddball, yet it is a looker nonetheless. So once again, possibly this one is only for the Le Mans basket cases, like yours truly. Even if that’s actually the case, the model looks terrific.

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