A stunning exotic created during the early days of the supercar by some of the most iconic names in Italian motoring, the Serenissima GT is a fascinating one-off example of what might have been. The design was born out of a friendship between Alejandro de Tomaso and Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata. In addition to his eponymous sports car company, de Tomaso also owned, at various times, several other Italian manufacturers including Maserati, Benelli, Moto Guzzi, and Vignale. De Tomaso’s 1967 acquisition of Carrozzeria Ghia gave him access to considerable production capacity, which he hoped to utilize not only for the production of his own car, the De Tomaso Mangusta, but also others. De Tomaso envisioned the Serenissima GT as one of those cars, although it was not to be.

During the 1960s, the Serenissima name became prominent in European motor-racing circles. Founder Count Volpi inherited a substantial sum of money at the age of 24 as his father had been Benito Mussolini’s finance minister and also founded the Venice Film Festival. Born into Venetian aristocracy, the young count named his racing team for Venice’s traditional nickname, “La Serenissima” or “the most serene.”

Scuderia Serenissima raced both Formula 1 and sports cars, the latter of which it did with considerable success, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1962. The team was one of Ferrari’s best customers and employed a host of talented and important drivers, including Graham Hill, Umberto Maglioli, Jo Siffert, and Ludovico Scarfiotti. Count Volpi also became famous for commissioning a special-bodied Ferrari 250 GT that Scuderia Serenissima would race. Bodied by Drogo, the car is now often known as the “Breadvan,” and has become one of the most iconic coachbuilt Ferraris of all time.

In addition to competing with cars built by other manufacturers, Count Volpi sought to make his own automobiles, and the result was a small number of racing and road cars bearing the Serenissima name. This machine, the Serenissima GT, was the last of these and created in concert with Count Volpi’s friend Alejandro de Tomaso, whose experience and ownership of Ghia provided the tools and contacts to engineer and build it. This included styling, and the coachwork was designed by the legendary stylist Tom Tjaarda, who had recently returned to Ghia after spending some years at Pininfarina.

Under the skin, the Serenissima GT was extremely contemporary, with a backbone chassis that had independent suspension and disc brakes at all four corners. The powertrain was equally sophisticated, with an engine designed in-house by Alberto Massimino. It was a mid-mounted 3.5-liter DOHC V-8 derived from Serenissima’s Formula 1 engine and connected to a proprietary five-speed transaxle with a limited-slip differential.

The Serenissima GT debuted in autumn 1968 on the Ghia stand at the Torino Motor Show, painted bright green metallic. It was repainted orange before it appeared a few months later at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1969, and the following month, it was shown at the New York International Auto Show. Around the same time, the original engine was replaced by another DOHC 3.5-liter Serenissima V-8, this one a three-valve-per-cylinder unit designed by Alf Francis, Stirling Moss’ legendary race mechanic.

Count Volpi never put the GT into production, but he did retain this example, the single prototype, for over 50 years, finally selling it to its current owner in 2019. At that time, it had not run for many years, but has since been recommissioned to driving condition. Today, the consignor reports that it still wears the same orange paint with which it was displayed in Geneva and New York in 1969.

This remarkable, unrestored automobile comes with a pair of spare engine blocks. It is a fascinating piece of automotive history – the brainchild of one of the most colorful characters of 1960s motor racing. It will delight the collector who covets the extraordinary and is sure to fascinate the attendees of the many prestigious shows at which it will surely be welcome.

*Please note that this vehicle is sold on a Bill of Sale.