Chassis No. 30525
Italian registration title
The end of the 1973 season marked an absolutely radical shift for the Prancing Horse firm, since, faced with a few failures at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and elsewhere, Enzo Ferrari decided to focus all of the Scuderia’s efforts on Formula 1… Despite this difficult decision, some clients and private teams knocked on the door of the Maranello maestro with the aim of taking part in Group 4 races: Enzo Ferrari then suggested to Giuliano Michelotto that he and his Officina undertake the creation of a brand new car, based on the 308.
On March 2, 1978, the wizard from Padua presented his new born, the now legendary “308 Gr. 4 Michelotto”. Where the bodywork, made of fiberglass and Kevlar, is widened, relatively few elements will actually be modified. Despite this, the beast boasts a weight of around 1 ton, and a power of nearly 300 hp… Successes will be there, with the highlight being the two victories in the Tour de France Automobile 1981 and 1982.
After 11 examples produced, the FIA regulations evolve, and the 308 Michelotto moves to Group B (coupling of Group 4 and Group 5). Some modifications will then be made: modification of the bodywork with narrower wings and the retention of certain steel parts (making the whole thing 30 kg heavier than the Gr.4), and especially the change from the Kugelfischer mechanical injection to Bosch K-Jetronic electronic injection. Only four Ferrari 308 Gr.B Michelotto will be produced, and all under the request of Pro Motor Sport, an Italian racing team.
Beyond Michelotto, a large number of tuners will try their luck in preparing the 308, but it is only the wizard of Padua who will succeed in making this car even more precise and agile, thanks to very particular work on the chassis… The 308 GTB which illustrates these pages was delivered in January 1980 to a certain Caterina Fassio, residing in the province of Piedmont, in a rare shade of Blu Dino. She will part with her car in April 1981 through the Ferrari dealership in Turin in favor of Claudio Pernini, who will sell it in September to the Scuderia Automobilistica Città di Milano, a Milanese association directed by Virgilio Facetti (no relation to Carlo Facetti, another 308 tuner).
It was actually the Panettoni Maina-Retequattro racing team that had instigated a program to run Ford RX3s, Opel Kadett GTEs and a Ferrari 308. They then joined forces with Virgilio Facetti and his Scuderia Città di Milano to manage the thing, and take the wheel of the Ferrari 308 in the races. This driver has also remained in the shadow of the great history of the Automobile despite his absolutely astonishing skills for the budgets he brought together:It was he who first prepared the 308 GTB #30525 via Effegi, a workshop he had created shortly before in Milan. During its first outing, at the 1st Rally di Limone Piemonte on July 7, 1984, the car reached 7th place in the standings.
From its second competitive outing (the car had meanwhile opened the Rally Valli del Bormida), the car performed well and reached 3rd place in the 1984 Rally Tre Laghi, just behind a Lancia 037 and a Porsche 911 Gr.4! After that, the car participated, this time without much success, in the 7th Rally dell'Autodromo di Monza.
On December 19, 1984, Virgilio Facetti asked Giuliano Michelotto to make the chassis and body of #30525 lighter. The two Italians had actually met at the car's first outing, at the Rally di Limone Piemonte, where Michelotto had asked who had prepared the car's engine to find out how it worked so well! Michelotto therefore passed #30525 on to Lino Cazzola's company, in order to give it the same treatment as the four other 308 Gr.Bs already produced by his company (copies of invoices present in the file).
On the agenda: changing the bodywork for one made of polyester and carbon Kevlar, and above all, upgrading the chassis to meet Michelotto's standards! The chassis was then numbered 18, a stamp still visible on the rear left part of the frame. After leaving the Officina Michelotto, #30525 was repainted in yellow, and participated twice in the Rally dell'Autodromo di Monza, before being sold to a certain Fabio Penariol, director of Pro Motor Sport (the team that had ordered the other four 308 Gr.Bs)! Fabio Penariol will put #30525 in Gr.4 configuration (mechanical injection), and will sell the car in 1988 to Jean-Louis Préhoubert.change of the bodywork for one in polyester and carbon Kevlar, and above all, evolution of the chassis to meet Michelotto standards!
The chassis is then numbered 18, stamp still visible on the rear left part of the frame. After leaving Officina Michelotto, #30525 will be repainted in yellow, and will participate twice in the Rally dell'Autodromo di Monza, before being sold to a certain Fabio Penariol, director of Pro Motor Sport (the team that had ordered the other four 308 Gr.B)! Fabio Penariol will put #30525 in Gr.4 configuration (mechanical injection), and will sell the car in 1988 to Jean-Louis Préhoubert.change of the bodywork for one in polyester and carbon Kevlar, and above all, evolution of the chassis to meet Michelotto standards!
The chassis is then numbered 18, stamp still visible on the rear left part of the frame. After leaving Officina Michelotto, #30525 will be repainted in yellow, and will participate twice in the Rally dell'Autodromo di Monza, before being sold to a certain Fabio Penariol, director of Pro Motor Sport (the team that had ordered the other four 308 Gr.B)! Fabio Penariol will put #30525 in Gr.4 configuration (mechanical injection), and will sell the car in 1988 to Jean-Louis Préhoubert.
The Tour Auto is one of the unmissable events on the international automotive calendar: sportiness, rarity, legend, heritage and discovery of France are the recipe for its success.
For its 34th edition, the world's largest historic rally, still existing in its original form, heads to the Mediterranean and returns to Nice. After the day of scrutineering and the car exhibition on Sunday, April 6 and Monday, April 7, in Hall 6 of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, drivers and co-drivers will take to the road on a 2,200 km route to reach the pearl of the Côte d'Azur.
On this occasion, Aguttes will raise the hammer on April 7 at 4 p.m., the day before the start of this most legendary competition, and will offer for auction a selection of 66 lots highlighting Classic Cars & Automobilia, Classic Watches, luxury luggage, contemporary art and an exceptional selection of Fine Wines & Spirits...
Public exhibition
Sunday, April 6: 2 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Monday, April 7: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles (Pavilion 6)
1, Place de la Porte de Versailles, 75015 Paris
Text & Images: Aguttes
