It was the sixties and the boom of the Italian rebirth after World War II was turning into a stabilization movement. Industries were looking for new goals, reconstruction was giving way to a certain overbuilding, the first consequences of the distortions of a country that had developed in patches were beginning to be seen. In the world of the car there was a large and gigantic company that commanded the train, namely Fiat, with the others trying to chase it or, alternatively, not to be abandoned. The meetings for joint projects became more widespread, and so the right day also came for a meeting between the engineers of the Innocent and those of Ferrari.
The idea, a la Innocenti, was to step away from it for a moment British Motor Corporation creating a sports car with an Italian soul. It was thought, through Bertone and his stylist Giugiaro, to put together the Innocenti lines and a V6 Ferrari engine, and Maranello had the impression of being faced with a good solution. A team of technicians in common was immediately created, with a geographical proximity between Milan and Modena which helped to speed up the exchange of ideas.
A prototype of the car was built, which was named Innocenti 186 GT. A nice name, simple and round. Then another was built. In Maranello, the main base, the technicians were followed by Alessandro Colombo, technical director of Innocenti, and by the engineer Franco Rocchi. The 186 GT was designed to mount a 1,788cc, 12-valve V6 engine with a 60-degree V-angle, mated to a (British-derived) four-speed gearbox plus overdrive. This V6 was a cross section of a V12, delivering 156 horsepower at 7,000 rpm.
The first prototype (tested for a few kilometers) was with a tubular frame, with independent front suspension with articulated wishbones and rear bridge with leaf springs and reaction struts. The spoked wheels were of the Borrani brand, while the tires chosen were Pirelli Cinturato, with disc brakes on all wheels. The dimensions were: wheelbase 2,320 mm, length 4,200 mm, width 1,600 mm, height 1,250 mm. The second prototype it was instead a load-bearing body, with the other characteristics unchanged, and it is the only one preserved up to the present day.
Yes: in the meantime, in the year 1964, Innocenti and Ferrari decided to abandon the project. The size of the Innocenti sales network was considered too little in-depth, and moreover the timing was considered less than ideal for the launch of such a car: there was in fact a mini-recession. The model remained in the Innocenti warehouses for 30 years, until it was rescued by Ermanno Cozza of Maserati: the restored prototype is part of the Ferrari museum collection.
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