1959 Scaglietti Coupe
These are the three 1959 Corvette chassis sent to Carrozzeria Scaglietti in Maranello, Italy, to get lightweight alloy bodies. The new design by Sergio Scaglietti was the project of three Texas-based racers - Gary Laughlin, Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby - who where trying to beat Ferrari at their own game; they wanted to create an inexpensive lightweight sports racing car with Chevrolet power. Their intention was to race these cars against the likes of the Ferrari 250 GTOs and the 250 SWB Berlinettas. Scaglietti's biggest customer, Enzo Ferrari, was not pleased. Consequently, the car took more than two years to complete and the project failed. This is perhaps the Cobra that should have been, but the Texas trio eventually turned their attention to other cars including Carroll Shelby's hugely successful AC Cobra project.
Text & pictures: www.conceptcarz.com
