<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Completed in the second half of 1967, the new Serenissima was dubbed the M1AF, after its creator Alf Francis. Upon completion, the car was tested at Monza as a bare chassis. Despite being ready, the M1AF did not make any competitive appearances in 1967. Apparently under pressure from his mother, who believed more than enough of his inheritance had been wasted, Count Volpi decided to wind down his team soon after and the M1AF remained un-raced.
The stillborn F1 machine made its first public appearance at a racing car show at Monza in 1969. It caught the eye of Austrian Egon Hofer, who subsequently bought it to go hill-climb racing. He called in the services of Alf Francis to prepare the car but Hofer still struggled to get to grips with the car during his hill-climb outings throughout 1970. No notable results were scored and the Serenissima was retired from contemporary racing soon after. Hofer parted with the car a few years later.
In rather derelict condition, the unique Serenissima F1 car was eventually acquired by the current owner's father in 1982. It would take another decade before work started to restore the car. With so many unique parts, this proved a complicated project but it was nevertheless completed in time to entertain the crowd at the owner's wedding in July of 1994. Following brief test sessions the M1AF was proudly displayed in the owner's living room until 2004.
The Serenissima was then brought out of hiding and prepared for historic racing. Nearly 40 years after it had been constructed, it finally made its racing debut on a closed circuit in 2005. In the following years, the one-off machine was given a handful of outings. Among them was the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed where it is seen here. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Completed in the second half of 1967, the new Serenissima was dubbed the M1AF, after its creator Alf Francis. Upon completion, the car was tested at Monza as a bare chassis. Despite being ready, the M1AF did not make any competitive appearances in 1967. Apparently under pressure from his mother, who believed more than enough of his inheritance had been wasted, Count Volpi decided to wind down his team soon after and the M1AF remained un-raced.