Serenissima – Agena (1967)

Automobili Serenissima was founded by the young Venetian nobleman Conte Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, who subsequently started running the Scuderia Serenissima private racing team in 1958. Scuderia initially used race cars from the Abarth, Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche stables. In 1960, Volpi decided to finance development of the Maserati Birdcage but he was also financially involved in the development of the Ferrari 250 GTO. However, the relationship with Ferrari collapsed even before the Ferrari 250 GTO was delivered when Volpi also took a stake in Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS) for a brief period in 1962. ATS was founded after a massive dispute between Ferrari and six engineers. They were thrown out on their ears in an event history sometimes refers to as the great walk-out. Volpi took initial steps towards developing his own car with the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan developed by Bizzarrini. In 1963, he established Automobili Serenissima with the aim of producing his own racing cars. One initial consideration was even to launch series production. The Bologna-based company was first located in the premises of the local Rolls-Royce importer Sasamotors. Automobili Serenissima built its cars on these premises up until 1966. At the end of the year, the company moved to a dedicated workshop based in Formigine near Modena. Between 1963 and 1970, Automobili Serenissima developed and produced four different models. Alberto Massimino was the engineer who developed Serenissima’s in-house engines. The Serenissima Agena was developed by Volpi and built in 1967 by Società Autostar, a company owned by Volpi. This single prototype was the only vehicle ever built. The car featured a mid-engine layout and was powered by a V8 engine. It was never registered and only ever driven on ‘Prova’ test plates until 1969, when it was mothballed by Conte Volpi. In 2020, Volpi sold the Agena to its current custodian. The competition car has never been restored and only a technical overhaul was necessary to bring it out of hibernation.