Can someone help identify the origin of this Ferrari style body?

I'm trying to figure out who constructed the pictured aluminum Ferrari style body. It's a LWB body and it's evocative of a 250 LWB Berlinetta, though it's certainly not an exact copy. All I know is that the body was constructed in Italy and was in America by 1970. This means that it had to have been built some time after 1957 (when this style was debuted by Ferrari / Scaglietti) but before 1970 (as it was in America by then). The rear fender profile is more square than a Scagliettti berlinetta - perhaps that could help identify the constructor. The body also has several stickers on it reading "3788 Milano" and some smaller print I can't make out. I've attached some photos. Perhaps these stickers were affixed by the builder and someone will recognize them? Or, perhaps someone knows who was building bodies with this flat-topped fender profile in that time period? Any thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Giving this a bump - does anyone have any idea if the sticker / tag would have been affixed by the carrosserie who built the body, or if it's some sort of customs or shipping label or ? Or, does anyone know who might have been making Ferrari style bodies in the 60s? Particularly with this unique fender profile? Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

You may want to provide clear proof that this body was built prior to 1970 and especially that this body was in America by 1970.

Marcel Massini

 

Marcel:

Thank you so much for your reply. I am told the body was purchased by Joe Marchetti in 1970 and I have spoken with people who saw the body at Joe Marchetti's in Chicago, if not in 1970, certainly "in the early 1970s". This is the best I have, but I recognize it's hearsay and may not be the "clear proof" you're seeking. I won't share the names of the people I've spoken with on a public forum, but you know how to reach me if you'd like to know. Unfortunately, that's all I have at the moment. I'm aiming for complete transparency on what I know and don't know, and I truly hope you appreciate that. Anyway, that's precisely why I posted these photos here - in the hope that someone knows more than me. I have no agenda other than definitively documenting the truth.

I'm also trying trying to get the photos enhanced in case there is a date in the fine print on the sticker, but no luck on that yet. That said, since my information, even though it comes from trustworthy / reliable sources, is, effectively, "hearsay", if you have some more definitive documentary evidence or contradictory data, I'd appreciate if you'd share it with me either publicly or privately - whichever you prefer. My only agenda here is the truth. Thank you so much for your time, Marcel, truly.

 

Maybe nothing to do with this body , if of course the story on barchetta is true a body was made for Ringoir but never used in the late 50's, probably after the crash of 0707GT during the Tour de France .
250 GT Ellena s/n 0885GT (barchetta.cc)

 

Please, NOT again with all this nonsense.
We have been thru this a million times already.......

Marcel Massini

 

Marcel (and everyone),

In order to help put an end to the discussion on the origin of this body once and for all, I'm having it tested the second week in August by forensic metallurgists using x ray spectrometry. This should tell us conclusively at least when and where this body was made, even if it can't tell us by whom. More to come. I am aiming for full transparency here.

 

All an analysis using XRF Technology will tell you is what metal is used and if the metal in the body matches the grade of that of an original body if you know the grade of an original body, or if it does not match. It won't tell you when and where the body was made.

 

The metallurgists I'm working with tell me that the particular alloy used changed both over time and by country of origin - in other words I'm told that XRF technology can indicate the age of the body and at least country of origin indirectly based on the alloys used. Either way, we will be testing it against known original 50s Ferraris and more modern cars, so we'll see if the alloy used is consistent with a 50s body, a more modern body from a given decade, or something else. It may or many not be conclusive, but it can't hurt and it should be revealing regardless. Fingers crossed.

 

Are you hoping to prove it was built by Scaglietti in the 1950s? You could at best find that the grade of alloy determined using XRF technology is compatible with the manufacturer’s specification or not.

 

No, I am certainly NOT hoping to prove this body was built by Scaglietti - I am 100% certain this is not a Scaglietti body; and I would NEVER claim that it is. I know how and with whom the Scaglietti story originated, and I'm confident it was a falsehood.

All I am really hoping to do is establish what the body is and isn't. Talking with experts, I have a pretty good idea who built it, and it was certainly built in Italy (based on the customs sticker in the pictures) and likely in Modena. And, I have hearsay evidence of when and why it was built, but I have nothing more than that. If XRF can confirm say, the alloy it is built from, and when and by whom that alloy was used; then, that will go a long way to proving or disproving the stories and opinions I have now. But, at the end of the day, whatever the truth is, I will be public with it. I want to end the controversy around this body (and the car it's on) once and for all.

 

And…..?

 

Analysis is done, but I'm still waiting on the final report. Marcel attributes this body to Mario Allegretti, and of course he'd be correct. Allegretti was at Fantuzzi and Maserati early in his career, but founded Carrozzeria Allegretti & Gentilini in 1958, and remained there until he joined Carrozzeria Sports Cars in 1963. In 1973 he left Sports Cars and founded his own Carrozzeria. So, once we have the body dated, we should be able to say conclusively which firm should be credited with the body - although regardless of which firm employed Allegretti at the time, in the end it was Mario Allegretti who did the work. So, it doesn't matter that much but I want to know for sure. More to come.

 

And…?

 

The plot thinnens...

 

So what’s the final report say?

 

Per his post on instagram:

“We've now confirmed the "when" and "where" part - 0885gt's body has been tested by forensic metallurgists at 522 Systems using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. They were able to prove definitely that this body was constructed in aluminum alloy originating in Italy, some time prior to 1970. This point is reinforced by the Italian customs stickers visible in these photos.

This leaves us with the question of "by whom". And, we can now answer this question too. Noted Ferrari historian Marcel Massini is already on record attributing this body to Mario Allegretti. Allegretti was first with Carrozzeria #fantuzzi until he left in 1958 to found Carrozzeria Allegretti & Gentilini ("A&G") where he remained until joining Carrozzeria Sports Cars of Modena (commonly referred to as #drogo), staying until 1973.

Since we know the body was produced prior to 1970, this leaves us only to determine if this body was built during Allegretti's time at A&G or Drogo. And, the answer can be found in the book "Drogo, Official Coachbuilder of the Scuderia Ferrari", by Jack Koobs de Hartog and Marc De Rick. As you can see in the first photo, Jossgt's body has a very strange tall, straight rear fender line that was never used by Scaglietti on a 14 louver body (unfortunately these fenders were changed to the 14 louver style during the "restoration" with the intent to perpetrate the aforementioned fraud). There is actually a chapter in the book entitled, "The Mysterious Case of the Drogo Rear Fenders", which explains that Giotto Bizzarini and Pierro Drogo started using straight, tall rear fenders to increase top speed. Mystery Solved!”