Giocattolo
Encyclopedia
Giocattolo Motori Pty Ltd was a short-lived Australia
n car company, founded in 1986 by sports car enthusiast Paul Halstead and Formula One
designer Barry Lock. The company's name comes from the Italian
word for "toy".
The Giocattolo was originally based on a heavily-modified Alfa Romeo Sprint
with a mid-mounted
Alfa V6 engine
. By the fourth prototype, the V6 engine had proved to be too difficult and expensive to import and install in the car, so the company instead used a Sprint
4-cylinder body shell. The V6 was replaced by a rear-mounted
Holden V8 engine
built by Holden Special Vehicles
. As well as being cheaper, these engines had more power than the Alfa engines they had originally intended to use; the reported top speed of the V8-powered Giocattolo was 160 mi/h. It is unknown what happened to the factory Sprint engines and gearboxes that were taken from the cars.
Including the Alfa-powered third prototype (which was rebuilt and re-fitted with the Holden V8 after an accident with a police car almost destroyed the vehicle), just fifteen Giocattolos were built before the company folded in 1989. Thirteen of the fifteen cars are believed to still be in existence and one is unaccounted for. The other - Build No. 007 - was infamously destroyed in a fiery high-speed crash at Eastern Creek Raceway
in February 2001, killing its driver, 29 year-old Todd Wilkes.
The third prototype appeared on the TV show Beyond 2000.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n car company, founded in 1986 by sports car enthusiast Paul Halstead and Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
designer Barry Lock. The company's name comes from the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
word for "toy".
The Giocattolo was originally based on a heavily-modified Alfa Romeo Sprint
Alfa Romeo Sprint
The Alfa Romeo Sprint is a coupé version of the Alfa Romeo Alfasud, produced from 1976 to 1989 by Alfa Romeo. 116,552 examples of the Alfasud Sprint and Alfa Romeo Sprint were built in total. The Sprint was sold in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.-History:Until 1983, the car's name...
with a mid-mounted
Mid-engine design
A mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine between the rear and front axles. Another term for this is mid-ship.-Benefits:The mid-engine layout is typically chosen for its relatively favorable weight distribution...
Alfa V6 engine
Alfa Romeo V6 engine
Alfa Romeos in-house V6 engine design made its initial début in 1979 in the Alfa 6. Introduced in 2.5 L guise, production engines would eventually range from 2.0 L to 3.2 L displacement. With modifications it is possible to increase engine displacement to...
. By the fourth prototype, the V6 engine had proved to be too difficult and expensive to import and install in the car, so the company instead used a Sprint
Alfa Romeo Sprint
The Alfa Romeo Sprint is a coupé version of the Alfa Romeo Alfasud, produced from 1976 to 1989 by Alfa Romeo. 116,552 examples of the Alfasud Sprint and Alfa Romeo Sprint were built in total. The Sprint was sold in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.-History:Until 1983, the car's name...
4-cylinder body shell. The V6 was replaced by a rear-mounted
Rear-engine design
In automobile design, a rear-engine design layout places the engine at the rear of the vehicle. The center of gravity of the engine itself is past the rear axle...
Holden V8 engine
Holden V8 engine
The Holden V8 is an overhead valve V8 engine which was produced by the Australian General Motors subsidiary Holden between 1969 and 2000. The engine was used initially in the Kingswood and Monaro model ranges; it was later utilised in the Torana and Commodore ranges...
built by Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles is the officially designated performance vehicle partner of Australian automobile manufacturer Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the company modifies Holden models such as the Commodore, Caprice and Ute and markets them under the HSV brandname.-...
. As well as being cheaper, these engines had more power than the Alfa engines they had originally intended to use; the reported top speed of the V8-powered Giocattolo was 160 mi/h. It is unknown what happened to the factory Sprint engines and gearboxes that were taken from the cars.
Including the Alfa-powered third prototype (which was rebuilt and re-fitted with the Holden V8 after an accident with a police car almost destroyed the vehicle), just fifteen Giocattolos were built before the company folded in 1989. Thirteen of the fifteen cars are believed to still be in existence and one is unaccounted for. The other - Build No. 007 - was infamously destroyed in a fiery high-speed crash at Eastern Creek Raceway
Eastern Creek Raceway
Eastern Creek International Raceway is a motorsports circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek , New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sydney International Dragway. It was built and is owned by the New South Wales Government and is operated by the...
in February 2001, killing its driver, 29 year-old Todd Wilkes.
The third prototype appeared on the TV show Beyond 2000.