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In 1962 after disagreements between Enzo Ferrari and Scuderia Serenissima’s Giovanni Volpi di Misurata the unique project was born. Count Volpi bought Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competition which had finished second on Tour de France Automobile. It was given to the hands of legendary creators who have completely transformed it to the car which has been christened “La Camionnette” by French and is better known as the Breadvan.
The men behind this project were legendary Giotto Bizzarrini and coachbuilder Piero Drogo. Bizzarrini concentrated on center of gravity, aerodynamics and weight. He lowered and pushed the engine back. The front end was rebuilt for better aerodynamics however it is the dramatically extended rear end which earned the car its name and fame. The Breadvan was built having one goal in mind - to beat Ferraris in races. Its competition debut was at Le Mans in 1962. It looked much promising since it overtook all Ferrari GTOs and it climbed up to the 7th overall place when during the 4th hour the misaligned driveshaft broke. The car did not finish the race, but its uniqueness and legacy is enjoyed until now. Last time it was seen leading the race during Goodwood Revival in 2018.
One highly passionate car collector obviously inspired by this fascinating story has approached London-based studio Niels Van Roij Design and commissioned a project to make one-of-a-kind Breadvan Homage. This small company, by the way, has already realized a stunning custom-made Tesla Model S Shooting Brake!
The main intention of this new much challenging project is to reinterpret the original classic car, not to make a retrospective automobile. As the company says: “Breadvan Homage will be respectful, yet un-nostalgic homage to the past”.
The original Breadvan is based on a 2-seater GT with front-engined V12 and manual gearbox, thus the chosen donor for the Homage project – Ferrari 550 Maranello – is an exceptional match for the conversion.
The team has already disassembled the car leaving only tubular space frame chassis, V12 engine with RWD transaxle and gearbox. Niels Van Roij Design has joined forces together with Dutch coachbuilder Bas van Roomen for manufacturing works. The shape of the car will be crafted using steel compound curve frame work. It will serve as base for a layer of modelling clay which will be used to move ideas from paper into 3D shape.
The company intends to make a modern looking car having its own strong, distinctive and timeless design which reinterprets the key elements of the classic original. It will save best 550 Maranello aesthetics but at the same time it will be clearly recognizable as a Breadvan Homage.
The project is currently well underway and Niels Van Roij Design is working from the rear towards the front. Each week, they release an update note of the progress on their website. It is still a tremendous work ahead, but we cannot wait to see the finished car sometime at the end of this summer. It is going to be splendid!
