Posted September 11, 2014 by 99MilesPerHour Exotic Exotics

Requiem For A Legend: Sergio Scaglietti

“Nil fato relinquemus”

…the continuing saga of Prancing Horse Passion

Sergio Scaglietti (1920-2011) was an eminent Modenese coachbuilder and a brilliant artisan who was not only a business partner but also the best friend of Enzo Ferrari. Sergio Scaglietti helped to build the foundation for the continuing saga of Prancing Horse Passion. He was brilliant. Sergio Scaglietti designed some of the most beautiful cars to come out of Maranello. He worked diligently earning the trust and respect from Enzo Ferrari.

In 1951 Carrozzeria Scaglietti, the company founded by Sergio himself, designed and built sports racing prototypes. His most famous work of art is the 250 Testa Rossa. In 2004 Ferrari introduced a new 12-cylinder Flagship. It’s a GT 2+2 coupe designed by Pininfarina to honor Sergio Scaglietti, coachbuilder extraordinaire…Scaglietti is to Ferrari as AMG is to Mercedes. The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti was built from 2004 until 2010.

In 1939 Sergio Scaglietti met Enzo Ferrari. A professional relationship and friendship began. Sergio repaired wrecked racing cars, and was so talented that Enzo sent drivers and customers who needed repairs. Sergio was extremely talented, not only did he repair cars he also modified them. This is what fascinated and intrigued Enzo…

Sergio rarely used blueprints or diagrams. He used a hammer and his intuition to create automotive masterworks. This genius hand-crafted Ferraris that won Grand Prix races in the fifties and the sixties. These cars now sell for millions of dollars. A Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sold for $16.4 million USD in 2011 according to the November 2011 New York Times.

Carrozzeria Scaglietti, was a design and coachbuilding establishment. He was located not far from the Ferrari plant in Maranello. Scaglietti & Co. was very impressive. Sergio was also very young to have the values and principles he possessed, this is why he impressed Enzo. They both strived for excellence. He bodied Pininfarina designs such as the 250 GT California, 250 GTO, and the 250 Tour de France.

Scaglietti & Co. was commissioned to body new cars for Ferrari. Enzo helped Sergio secure the financing he needed to expand. His first work was the Ferrari 500 Mondial. He became an integral part of Maranello. The collaboration between Scaglietti, Pininfarina, and Enzo Ferrari together, designed some of Ferrari’s greatest models from the fifties, sixties, and seventies. Both Sergio and Enzo believed in speed, power, utility, superb craftsmanship and beauty of design. They both detested mass-production.

Ferrari 250 GTO

The 612 Scaglietti is built in the great Ferrari 2+2 tradition. It is the first all aluminium V12 Ferrari. The sculpted beauty of its architecture hints at Sergio Scaglietti’s hand-crafted style. The sleek body shell is augmented by an innovative panoramic stratified glass roof that spans from the windscreen to the backglass. Three tint level settings allow passengers to adjust sunlight entering the car. The 612 Scaglietti is a spacious two-door four-seat elegantly sporty rear-wheel drive berlinetta. It is designed to deliver maximum driving pleasure and in-car comfort.

The 612 Scaglietti panoramic roof

The 612 Scaglietti uses the same engine as the Ferrari Maranello 575M. It is powered by the Ferrari Dino F133F 5.7 litre 48-valve DOHC V12 engine. The engine produces 532 hp @ 7,250 rpm with 589 Nm of peak torque @ 5,250 rpm. It is equipped with a Bosch Motronic ME 7.1.1 engine management system.

Longitudinal acceleration is rated as 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, 0-100 mph in 8.6 seconds with a top speed of 196 mph. It does the ¼ mile @ 119 mph in 12 seconds. The engine is mated to the F1A 6-speed electrohydraulic sequential manual gearbox. The engine is mid-front mounted with the gearbox and differential at the rear to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. It has an excellent weight distribution of 46 percent in the front and 54 percent in the rear.

The F1A SuperFast gear shifting strategy was introduced on the 599 GTB Fiorano. Drivers can adjust the system to suit their driving style. The driver can select gear shift strategy of the F1A gearbox only in the SPORT/NORMAL positions. The car can then be driven in two other dynamic combinations: gear selection in SPORT with manettino at the COMFORT setting, or gear selection in the NORMAL setting with manettino set to SPORT. The gearbox is equipped with a smaller flywheel and twin-plate clutch. The sophisticated SuperFast system cuts gear shifts based upon the acceleration gap to 100 milliseconds during high-performance driving.

The 612 Scaglietti has a ‘thinking’ suspension. Active damping and variable calibration allows the suspension to monitor the independent aluminium dampers with coil springs, to evaluate road surface characteristics and make the necessary adjustments. The independent suspension uses forged aluminium wishbones front and rear with anti-dive geometry in the front and anti-squat geometry in the rear. It is equipped with electronic CST (stability & traction control), ASR (traction in acceleration), and ABS. It is the first Ferrari to use a system of this type. The 612 Scaglietti rides upon a 116.1” wheelbase, is 193” in length, and 77” in width. It is a large coupe.

The 612 Scaglietti has body on spaceframe construction. Its spaceframe is developed in collaboration with Alcoa. The aluminium architecture is bolted onto the spaceframe with self-piercing rivets. Adhesives are not used on this model. This was the perfect tribute to Sergio Scaglietti, aluminium was the medium of choice for his lightweight aerodynamic speedsters. The 612 Scaglietti was produced at the Scaglietti Light Alloy Facility. It is a beautifully sculpted 2+2 coupe in every respect. The pleasing dimensions add roominess to the cabin. Classic Ferrari DNA is apparent in its silhouette. The fastback design sweeps from nose to tail. The 612 Scaglietti augments Ferrari’s talent for innovation and design.

It is a luxurious grand tourer. Open the doors to elegant sophistication. It is a bespoke automobile and was built to the owner’s requests exclusively. It is an imposing car with a capacious, ergonomically designed cabin. There is an electric “easy entry-exit” switch which lowers the front seat and headrest as it slides forward for rear seat access. The rear compartment seats two adults comfortably.

Standard equipment includes an automatic dual-zone automatic temperature control, power windows and seats, premium 8-channel Bose audio system with surround sound specifically designed for the 612’s acoustics, driver & front passenger air bags, and posh leather trim. This is luxury on the grand touring scale. The steering wheel mounted manettino switch and start button are Ferrari signature features. A 5” multifunctional display with graphics has three display modes: base, trip computer, and tire pressure.

The Scaglietti MY06 has an even more luxurious trim level. Leather not only upholsters the seats, it is expanded to include the headlining, side panels, and other conspicuous areas. This limited edition escalates the 612 Scaglietti to new heights in exclusivity and supremacy. The upgrades includes CD, navigation system, voice recognition, MP3 player, and Bluetooth capability. The system features a compact flash memory card reader which stores 4GB of music.

The owner of the 612 Scaglietti is one of the fortunate few to drive such an individual automobile. It’s an exclusive grand tourer for the discerning driver who demands a distinctive sporting machine with unusual charm. From the unique panoramic roof to its sleek aluminium architecture, the 612 Scaglietti is a rare motoring experience.

The 612 is designed to honor one of the most eminent coachbuilders in the world. Sergio Scaglietti designed and built some of the most famous track and road-going Ferraris. This was the first Ferrari dedicated to a living legend. He created masterpieces by hand without blueprints or diagrams…these automobiles are now priceless works of art that sell for millions of dollars.

Sergio Scaglietti and Enzo Ferrari were quite a team as both business partners and best friends. The world lost a brilliant artisan with old-school values… and those values are still in place at Ferrari. Enzo & Sergio laid the foundation for the continuing saga of the Prancing Horse. With a ferocious V12 engine, the latest technology for the day and a posh leather cabin, the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is another serendipitous adventure in paradise…