Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari

From Classic Car Life

Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari was a company set up by Enzo Ferrari in 1941, which ostensibly produced machine tools and aircraft accessories. Also known as SEFAC (Scuderia Enzo Ferrari Auto Corse).

Bound by contracts after leaving Alfa Romeo, Enzo Ferrari was not allowed to produce cars using the Ferrari name. So he set up shop under the name AAC (Auto Avio Costruzioni), in order to produce cars.

The first car, which was effectively the first fully designed and built by Enzo Ferrari in Modena and basically the first Ferrari ever built was the 815, and was strictly speaking, named AAC Tipo 815. It was named this because it had an eight cylinder, 1.5 L engine. It showed promise at the Mille Miglia of 1940, with the two 815's built run by the teams of Lotario Rangoni/Enrico Nardi and Alberto Ascari/Giuseppe Minozzi, but both broke down and did not finish. It saw little competition due to World War II.