The originator of A.S.A. was Ferrari which, in 1958, made a double-overhead camshaft 4 cylinder engine of 850cc capacity. In 1961 the engine was mated to a chassis designed by Giotto Bizzarini - it was virtually a scaled-down GTO - and was bodied by Bertone. Ferrari decided not to proceed any further and the project as taken over by some enthusiastic industrialists from Milan.
In 1965 A.S.A. launched the Mille, which was available as either a coupe or cabriolet. Unusually for the time, there were 4-wheel disc brakes and the engine, which was virtually two-thirds of a bank of a Ferrari V12, was increased in capacity to 1032cc. It produced 84bhp, which gave the car a top speed of 185kmh (115mph), but the torque curve was peaky.
In 1967, the Mille was replaced by the Rollbar GT Spyder which had a 6-cylinder 1.3 litre version of the engine used in the Mille, and costs were cut by having the body made from fibreglass. Like the Mille, it had a 4-speed transmission with double overdrive but, like the Mille, it found few takers. The company folded in 1967 after approximately 50 Milles and Spyders had been made.