This ASA 1000 GT Berlinetta (chassis 01302, engine 173/219) is one of those cars where pedigree matters more than displacement. Conceived in the mid-1960s as an Italian answer to the small European GT class, it traces back to a project initiated at Enzo Ferrari’s request and shaped by names that need no introduction: Giotto Bizzarrini on chassis concept, Gioacchino Colombo on the 985 cc inline-four (often described as conceptually “one third” of his famous V12), and a young Giorgetto Giugiaro for the sleek fastback body. The end product was a compact, refined berlinetta with genuinely serious engineering for its size—more like a scaled-down 250 GT in philosophy than a simple sporting runabout.

The industrial story is just as unusual. The project was carried forward under the Autocostruzioni S.p.A. banner with the De Nora family of Milan, but costs escalated and sales remained slow, keeping total production below 100 cars. That blend—Ferrari-connected lineage, tiny numbers, and commercial failure—is exactly what makes the ASA such a prized “etceterini” today. And yes: we’ve always dreamed of driving an ASA 1000, precisely to find out how “big” a small GT can feel when it’s built with this level of intent.

Chassis 01302 is described as a very late example and likely one of a handful of “Mark II” cars, identifiable by the revised nose with Fiat 850 Coupé-style headlights and an integrated hood scoop. Documentation referenced with the car suggests it was delivered new to Spain and later spent time in California and France. It is offered as a largely complete restoration candidate, and the key positives are the ones that matter on a rare car: a numbers-matching engine, correct Borrani bi-metal knock-off wheels, bucket seats, a full set of Jaeger instruments, and generally sound fiberglass bodywork. In other words, not a turnkey miracle, but a sensible foundation—and with an ASA, completeness and correctness are the difference between a viable restoration and a long parts hunt. Find it for sale here in Verl, Germany.