'Jay Leno's Garage' Shows Off a One-Of-A-Kind 1993 Ferrari Conciso
“Conciso” means “concise” in Italian.
Jay Leno’s Garage is no stranger to exotic cars, but in its latest episode, the veteran comedian and talk show host brings to its audience something truly special: a one-of-a-kind 1993 Ferrari Conciso, owned by Franco Valobra, owner and President of Valobra Jewelry, who won it at the Monaco Sotheby’s auction.
The 15-minute episode starts off with a little background about the peculiar car. “It’s called conciso,” says Valobra. “Conciso in Italian means concise.” The model is based on a 1989 Ferrari 328, and was envisioned by German engineer Bernd Michalak, who wanted to design something so spectacular that would give him access into the upper echelons of automotive design. Determined to craft it out of aluminium, Michalak took the car to Bacchelli & Villa — both historical names for the Prancing Horse. Leno points out that it’s interesting to see Ferrari allowing its badges and logos to be used on the Conciso — after all, it was designed completely by someone else — but Valobra maintained that everything about the car is Ferrari, and even the bodywork was built by Ferrari bodywork builders.
To add to the vehicle’s foreign design, there are no doors on the car. To enter it, the driver will have to step over, “just like the race car of yesteryears.” The car weighs only two-thirds of of the original 328, measuring 800 pounds lighter. The 3.2L V8 from the original 328 GTS is retained, pushing 270 horsepower, as well as the original manual gearbox and gauges. Driving wise, both Leno and Valobra agreed that the minimalistic, lightweight racer drove very much like a go-kart, with a high level of control and handling.
You can watch the full video above, and for more automotive news, check out the rankings for every car that has ever appeared in the Fast & Furious franchise.
