VIN: the Count Giovanni Volpi Ferrari 400 Superamerica chassis 2809 SA
History of chassis 2809 SA
Chassis 2809 SA was the second of seven Series 1 400 Superamericas built to Coupe Aerodinamico specification with covered headlights.
It was delivered to 23 year old Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata of Venezia who was one of Ferrari’s best customers at the time.
Count Volpi had inherited a vast fortune from his father, the financier and politician, Count Giuseppe Volpi, who died in 1947.
The young Count purchased his first Ferrari aged 20 in late 1958 (a Series 1 250 GT Cabriolet, chassis 0963 GT) which was followed around a year later by a 250 GT Spyder California (chassis 1459 GT).
Having entered his friend, Prince Zourab Tchokotua, to drive the California Spyder at a hillclimb (where it finished third in class) Count Volpi decided to form his own racing team: Scuderia Serenissima (also known as Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia).
Scuderia Serenissima’s California Spyder subsequently went on to finish eighth overall and first in class at the Sebring 12 Hours in March 1960. Afterwards, Count Volpi acquired a plethora of racing machinery to include an ex-works Ferrari 250 TRI/61 (chassis 0792 TR), three 250 GT SWB Competiziones (chassis 2141 GT, 2733 GT and 2819 GT), two examples of the fabled 250 GTO (3445 GT and 4757 GT) and a 250 LM (5995).
During this period, Scuderia Serenissima also campaigned a De Tomaso, a Lotus 18/21 and a Porsche 718 in Formula 1 events.
The 400 Superamerica was Count Volpi’s fourth Ferrari road car. It followed the aforementioned Series 1 250 GT Cabriolet and California Spyder plus a second series 250 GT Cabriolet that arrived in late 1960 (chassis 2133 GT).
The 400 Superamerica was also the most expensive of these four cars and the list price was made considerably larger thanks to a long list of special equipment that Count Volpi submitted to Pininfarina.
In addition to specifying a lightweight all-aluminium body (the only 400 Superamerica equipped as such), Count Volpi asked for the interior to be enhanced with a lockable central armrest, a foot-operated headlight flasher to the left of the clutch pedal, storage boxes behind the seats, removable strap-on headrests, a map light, a blue light under the dashboard, Klippan seatbelts and storage pockets in the backs of the seats.
The dash was customised with a left-hand side-mounted rev counter, flick switches instead of pull-push type and a Blaupunkt Cologne radio. Count Volpi had also asked Pininfarina to fit a record player under the dash but this request could not be accommodated.
The aluminium body was equipped with a drilled hood support frame and hinges, red warning lights in the trailing edge of the doors and a second battery in the boot.
Chassis 2809 SA was painted the fetching shade of Nero which contrasted handsomely with its Naturale interior.
The car was dispatched on July 27th 1961 and Count Volpi kept it until 2002 at which point 2809 SA was sold to a collector in Modena. The award-winning unrestored car has since gone through the hands of a couple of additional owners.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ferrari - https://www.ferrari.com
