1940 Auto Avio Costruzioni 815

The Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 belongs to the short interval between Enzo Ferrari’s earlier racing activities and the cars that would carry his surname.

History and purpose

The Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 belongs to the short interval between Enzo Ferrari’s earlier racing activities and the cars that would carry his surname. Hagley’s digitised 1940 catalogue documents the original project and records a two-car production programme. The archive importance is therefore unusually precise: this is a named physical vehicle programme with a contemporary printed record, rather than a retrospective styling exercise. The 1940 reference year identifies that original programme. It does not imply that every surviving component or finish on a museum display remains untouched from its first competition appearance.

Design and engineering

The supplied museum photograph shows an open two-seat body, separately expressed front wings and a tall, narrow grille. A smooth central bonnet leads toward a small passenger opening, while the wheels sit beneath rounded wings. The dark finish allows the bright grille surround and exposed wire wheels to define the body’s outlines. Visually, the car sits between the separate volumes of older sports machinery and the more integrated envelopes that would become familiar later. That interpretation comes from the photographed shape. No wind-tunnel efficiency, measured drag coefficient or present-day performance result is inferred from its streamlined appearance.

Identifying the original configuration

The name deserves to remain intact. Calling the car simply a 1940 Ferrari risks erasing the business identity under which it was constructed. This profile therefore uses Auto Avio Costruzioni in its title while retaining its place within the Ferrari historical archive. The photograph documents the museum-displayed 815, but a visible race number is not used here to assign a particular driver, original chassis or event result. Competition numbers can be changed for display. Linking a number to an entry list requires dated evidence for that particular race, rather than assuming that a modern presentation recreates the exact original starting configuration.

Collector context and preservation

For a collector or museum, the original catalogue is a stronger starting point than a modern superlative. It shows that the project existed in its own period and gives researchers a document to compare with later descriptions. An individual provenance file should distinguish original identity, surviving structure and restored body appearance. The two-car programme count is not a claim that two complete examples survive today. Nor does it establish the authenticity of a tribute bearing similar coachwork. The appeal of the 815 lies in the historical connection it makes visible: a small competition project can illuminate the formation of an entire manufacturer without being forced into the vocabulary of a numbered modern special edition.

Reading the evidence for this profile

The original source links below identify the programme and the historical statements used in this article. The photograph has its own creator and licence record, separate from the manufacturer’s vehicle history. Keep both when transferring this profile into a collection catalogue. A manufacturing tally describes how many cars belong to a defined original programme; it does not measure how many survive, how many are publicly visible, or how many retain all their original components. Those individual questions require dated chassis and restoration evidence. The reference year likewise describes the programme’s introduction or named historic configuration, while the supplied caption states the photographed setting and any established individual identity. This lets future research expand the car’s history without blurring the scope of the record already assembled here.

Specifications and verified rarity

Frequently asked questions

Why is an Auto Avio Costruzioni car in the Ferrari archive?

It belongs to Enzo Ferrari’s pre-marque vehicle history, while retaining its original Auto Avio Costruzioni identity.

How many original 815 cars were constructed?

The cited institutional record describes a two-car programme. This is a manufacturing scope, not a present-day survivor count.

Does the museum photo identify its original driver?

No driver assignment is made from the modern display number.

What does the 1940 date mean?

It is the original programme reference year, supported by the period catalogue.

What rarity or archive scope is verified?

The complete original 1940 Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 programme: two constructed cars. A pre-Ferrari archive subject, not a later Ferrari road-car edition.

Who took the supplied photograph?

Arnaud 25 via Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 3.0. The original file and licence links accompany the image. Retain that credit when the photograph is uploaded, exported or reused.

Related Ferrari profiles

• 2002 Ferrari Enzo Original Customer Series
• 1948 Ferrari 166 Inter Touring

Sources and photo credits

• Original manufacturer or custodial record

Photograph: Arnaud 25 via Wikimedia Commons original file, CC BY-SA 3.0. Source-provided photograph supplied without local cropping, retouching or text removal. A source thumbnail is used where available. Museum-displayed Auto Avio Costruzioni 815. The modern display number is not treated as a driver or chassis identification.