Despite their total lack of practicality, the roofless, windshield-free supercar segment is surprisingly crowded in 2026. Aston Martin have the V12 Speedster, McLaren built the Elva, and Mercedes-AMG even turned the SL into a speedster for the PureSpeed. Let’s not forget Ferrari’s SP1 and SP2 Monzas either, which have become arguably the most well-known and desirable speedsters on the market. However, back in the early 1990s, a the idea of a topless and windscreen-less supercar was almost unheard of, which made this incredible one-off — the Ferrari Conciso — all the more impactful when it broke cover at the 1993 Frankfurt Auto Show.
Envisioned and sponsored by a rather obscure design house in Germany called Bernd Michalak Design Studio and built by storied Ferrari design house Bachelli & Villa, the Conciso started life as a low-mileage 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS before being transformed according to the mantra “Athletic with not an extra ounce.” To that end, Michalak removed everything apart from the original drivetrain and running gear and then shrink-wrapped those pieces with just enough material for it to be considered a car.
The chassis was draped in a wedge-tastic aluminium alloy body shell with no doors, no weatherproofing, and a windshield that served as more of a design flourish than anything else. Some of our favourite design details include the contrasting satin grey front fender flares, which house the headlights, and the elongated NACA-style intakes located just before the rear wheels. Interestingly, the bodywork is largely comprised of just three pieces: the front and rear clamshells, and the centre section of the cockpit.
Viewed from the side, the Conciso strikes a balance somewhere between a vehicle from Mario Kart and the M100 Lotus Elan, and the Conciso certainly wouldn’t look out of place in a Gran Turismo lobby. Overall, the Conciso shed around 30% of the original 328 GTS’ weight, helping it to tip the scale at under one tonne.
While the design saw a total transformation, the 328’s transversely-mounted 3.2-litre four-valve-per-cylinder V8 was left as Maranello intended, meaning a power output of 266 hp and 304 Nm of torque. Thanks to the drastic diet, the Conciso saw impressive performance gains over its donor car, with a 5-second 0 to 100 km/h time (0.5 seconds faster than standard) and a 278 km/h top speed, an 11 km/h improvement over the stock 328.
Climb inside the Conciso and the cockpit was just as radically altered, with plenty of organic 1990s curves separating it from the comparatively old-school cabin of the 328. The seats are moulded into the firewall with stuck-on cushions for the headrest and bolsters, while ahead of the steering wheel you’ll see the fuel gauge and oil temperature and pressure gauges, with the rev counter and speedometer located off to the right hand side. Meanwhile, what would normally be considered the doorcards contain two recesses for storing racing helmets, which will certainly come in handy should you attempt to reach v-max without consuming an entomologist’s thesis-worth of bugs.
Despite its eye-catching appearance, the impressive spec sheet, and Michalak’s desire to put it into limited production, just this sole example was ever built. However, it wasn’t all bad news for Michalak, because in 1994 it was awarded second prize at the Eurosign Design Awards. Shortly after, Michalak sold the Conciso to a prestigious collection in North America where it lived until 1998, with the car subsequently passing into the hands of a Belgian collector, who proudly displayed it as his favourite conversation piece in his living room.
Classic Driver was fortunate to have a private encounter with this incredible and unique prancing horse on Monterey’s famous 17-Mile Drive, where the Conciso appeared right at home and our resident photographer extraordinaire Rémi Dargegen was able capture these incredible photos. Needless to say, it was a day we won’t forget in a hurry.
Photos by Rémi Dargegen
