Cortile Cup 2012: 1953 Siata 208CS
This car is one of only 18 Siata coupes powered by the 1996cc Fiat 8V engine capable of producing 110 horsepower. It is one of only 11 bodied by Balbo (the first of the series was completed in early 1952 in time to compete in the Mille Miglia). It was imported into the United States, arriving in New York in 1954, and photographer Robert Grier was its first owner. Two more followed while the car continued to be raced in SCCA events until it found its way to a used car lot in Queens, when the current owner's father purchased it in 1959. It was originally painted dark blue, but was repainted in 1966 and again in 1991. It has also been fitted with a new interior. The odometer reads just 36,000 miles from new.
With a spyder body by Fantuzzi, number 2089 was a private entry in both the 1955 and 1956 Mille Miglia races, finishing 1st in Class (4th overall) and 2nd in Class (56th overall) respectively. Owned and driven by Francesco Giardini, it also competed at other venues in period, such as LeMans, Monza, and the Targa Florio. |
|
It is powered by a 2-liter twin cam 6-cylinder engine. In 1959 the car was rebuilt at the Maserati factory in a GT configuration with its present Pininfarina coupe body. It won the Art Center College of Design Award at Pebble Beach in 2005. Using Fiat's Otto Vù engine and chassis with a unique coupe body, this was Siata's answer to events like the Mille Miglia. Before the 208CS, Societa Italianà Applicazioni Techniche Automobilistiche had built up quite a reputation building racing parts for Fiat and even making whole new cars from Fiat components. When Fiat's, Otto Vù (8V) came it was a natural choice for a Siata's new car.
Fiat used Siata to help develop the Otto Vù prototypes. They were centered around a unique 70 degree engine designed by Dante Giacosa. After those were finished, Siata hired Rudolph Hruska to make their own chassis around the Otto Vù engine. The resulting chassis was shorter and used a short drive shaft. Six to ten of these chassis were built, which used curved chassis rails. The arrangement allowed for an especially low driving position and low overall height.
The first car, chassis CS052, was prepared for the upcoming Torino Auto Show. Stabilimenti Farina designed and executed the body which was exceptionally low. The design used retractable headlights, a wrap around windshield and small side windows. In 1953 Stabilimenti Farina closed so Balbo completed the subsequent Coupes to the same design.
The car debuted at the Turin Auto Show in April. Not long thereafter, three identical Coupes entered the Mille Miglia. Two retired, but the remaining car driven by Franco Rol and Gino Munaron finished 11th overall, behind the Ferrari and Lancia in the same class. The Fiat 8V was only produced for 2 years, just enough to make sufficient cars to homologate it for the GT class. And it did what it was intended to do: win races and attract attention. But sadly it was slowly forgotten when it disappeared from racing competition. Only a small group of people cherished these cars, kept most of them in top condition and paid small fortunes to obtain one.
Siata was very much involved in the Fiat 8V production. A number of mechanical components for these cars were produced and assembled by Siata for Fiat, because Fiat's experimental department lacked sufficient production capacity. Fiat produced a total of 200 8V engines in advance, but didn't use them all and sold some to Siata. The company designed a new tubular chassis around it and slightly reworked the engines. So the 208S (meaning 2-litre 8-cylinder Sport) appeared in 1952 with bodywork by Stabilimenti Farina. It proved to be the car to ensure Siata's place in automotive history and remarkably most of these cars were sold in the US.
Recently a 1953 Siata 208 CS Berlinetta CS073 sold for $605,000
Fiat used Siata to help develop the Otto Vù prototypes. They were centered around a unique 70 degree engine designed by Dante Giacosa. After those were finished, Siata hired Rudolph Hruska to make their own chassis around the Otto Vù engine. The resulting chassis was shorter and used a short drive shaft. Six to ten of these chassis were built, which used curved chassis rails. The arrangement allowed for an especially low driving position and low overall height.
The first car, chassis CS052, was prepared for the upcoming Torino Auto Show. Stabilimenti Farina designed and executed the body which was exceptionally low. The design used retractable headlights, a wrap around windshield and small side windows. In 1953 Stabilimenti Farina closed so Balbo completed the subsequent Coupes to the same design.
The car debuted at the Turin Auto Show in April. Not long thereafter, three identical Coupes entered the Mille Miglia. Two retired, but the remaining car driven by Franco Rol and Gino Munaron finished 11th overall, behind the Ferrari and Lancia in the same class. The Fiat 8V was only produced for 2 years, just enough to make sufficient cars to homologate it for the GT class. And it did what it was intended to do: win races and attract attention. But sadly it was slowly forgotten when it disappeared from racing competition. Only a small group of people cherished these cars, kept most of them in top condition and paid small fortunes to obtain one.
Siata was very much involved in the Fiat 8V production. A number of mechanical components for these cars were produced and assembled by Siata for Fiat, because Fiat's experimental department lacked sufficient production capacity. Fiat produced a total of 200 8V engines in advance, but didn't use them all and sold some to Siata. The company designed a new tubular chassis around it and slightly reworked the engines. So the 208S (meaning 2-litre 8-cylinder Sport) appeared in 1952 with bodywork by Stabilimenti Farina. It proved to be the car to ensure Siata's place in automotive history and remarkably most of these cars were sold in the US.
Recently a 1953 Siata 208 CS Berlinetta CS073 sold for $605,000
Alfa Romeo Winner: 1964 Guila Sprint Speciale
|
|
Alfa Romeo built a series of low volume, special edition cars based on their Giulietta Sprint range between 1959-1966. Most models used the 100bhp 1290cc engine, although the later Giulia SS used a 112bhp 1570cc version. The SS had a long-tail coupe body designed by Bertone. The SZ and SZ2 models were designed and built by another famous Italian coachbuilder, Zagato.
Mechanically these specials were similar to their contemporary production models. They relied on weight saving thin body panels and aerodynamics for improved performance. However, standard equipment for all of these special Alfa coupes included five speed gearboxes and front discs. |
Ferrari Winner: 55o Barchetta
|
Dennis is also the owner of a 1984 Ferrari that was the Platinum Concour's winner in Reading.
|
Fiat Winner: Dino
|
We have a small exhaust leak on this one. We're working to get it fixed. Hang in there.
|
Lancia Winner: 1966 Flamina GT
|
|
It may in the plug wires. We're working on getting it fixed. Check back soon
|
Maserati Winner: 2005 Gran Sport
|
The Maserati Coupé and Spyder (Tipo 138) are grand tourers. They have now been replaced by the GranTurismo.The two nameplates refer to the four-seater coupé and two-seater roadster versions, respectively. Both models were based on the 3200 GT, which was sold in Europe, but not in the United States.
The starting point for the modern GranSport is the Coupé Cambiocorsa, which appeared in its current form, with a 4.2-liter V-8 engine and a transaxle incorporating a paddle-shift automated six-speed manual transmission, in 2002. Designed to bring a bit of the Trofeo race car's edgier performance to the street, the GranSport coupe rides on 19-inch wheels with the Trofeo's trident-spoke design, shod in special 235/30-series front, 265/30 rear Pirelli P Zero Rossos. The active-damping suspension is lowered 0.4 inch, and the response rate of the shock absorbers is increased to limit pitch and roll. |
The engine, which is related to the 4.3-liter V-8 in the upcoming Ferrari F430, is "blueprinted"-built with selected components to finer tolerances than the standard Maserati-and has a different exhaust system and inlet manifolds. The result is an 11-hp increase, to 396, although with rather different power and torque curves than the 394-hp version of the same engine in the Maserati Quattroporte sedan. And taking a cue from Ferrari, the exhaust system has a pneumatic valve to reduce back pressure and make a gloriously rich sound when the "sport" button is pressed.
Every successive version of the Cambiocorsa electrohydraulic shift system is a little bit better than the previous one. Maserati says the GranSport has specially developed software that makes shifting in sport mode 35 percent faster than before.
Every successive version of the Cambiocorsa electrohydraulic shift system is a little bit better than the previous one. Maserati says the GranSport has specially developed software that makes shifting in sport mode 35 percent faster than before.
Lamborghini Winner: 1999 Daiblo
|
|
We think that the connecting rod that connects the hydraulic clutch slave cylinder to the clutch lever is a weak point. We're double checking it now and should have it up and running here shortly
|
Italian Specialty Car: 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina
|
|
1959 Autobianchi Bianchina Transformabile, Series 2, is a very rare Italian micro car that was only produced from 1959 to 1961. Only 10,000 of these semi-convertible ‘transformable’ models were made. A complete restoration was done to show quality. It runs, drives and shows extremely well.
Powered by an original 479cc/17hp, air cooled, rear mounted 2 cylinder engine, backed by a 4-speed manual gearbox, 4-wheel independent suspension and 4-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. This is an excellent example of one of the world's most attractive micro cars. A complete high quality restoration finished to show standards has been performed. This car was brought down to a bare tub, media blasted with aluminum oxide and all internal floor and doors treated with Por-15 products before body and paint completion. It is finished in a brilliant red color with cream accents, and sporting Pirelli tires. One look will tell the experienced afficiondo the level of restoration this Bianchina has received, down to new or rebuilt mechanicals and attention to details that really make this car a one of a kind. |
Bianchi History:
In 1885, 20-year-old Eduardo Bianchi set up a bicycle-making business in Milan, and before long was making motorized three-wheelers and then, before the turn of the century, four-wheelers. In the 1920s, Bianchi was third behind only Fiat and Lancia in Italian car production. In 1955, following a business alliance with Fiat and Pirelli and a name change to Autobianchi, the reorganized company focused its operations on a long-running series of upscale Fiat 500 variants. Fiat provided the technical components and knowledge, Pirelli provided the tires, and Bianchi created the bodies and assembled the vehicles. The body was designed by Luigi Rapi. The first product produced under this new venture was the Bianchina which was based on the Fiat 500 and offered luxury features not found on the 500. The first body style to roll off the assembly line was the 'Transformable' and would remain as the only body-style available until 1960, when the Cabriolet was introduced.
Diminutive yet bursting with an abundance of sporting character, the Bianchina offered sturdy and widely available Fiat 500 mechanical components with luxurious levels of trim for the era. The understated yet captivating Bianchina was further enhanced by a series of mechanical upgrades, including a lowered suspension, which contributed to a sportier ride. Despite its small two-cylinder air-cooled engine mounted in the rear of the car, the Bianchina was quite a capable performer, with a top speed of 60 mph and an estimated range of nearly 300 miles. Fuel economy reportedly approached a very impressive 50 mpg. While the Bianchina was just one of the many fascinating European micro cars that were available during the 1950s and 1960s, it was an unqualified success. In fact, with its decidedly sporty demeanor and limited-production cachet, it was quickly regarded by enthusiasts as the rich man’s’ F1.
In 1885, 20-year-old Eduardo Bianchi set up a bicycle-making business in Milan, and before long was making motorized three-wheelers and then, before the turn of the century, four-wheelers. In the 1920s, Bianchi was third behind only Fiat and Lancia in Italian car production. In 1955, following a business alliance with Fiat and Pirelli and a name change to Autobianchi, the reorganized company focused its operations on a long-running series of upscale Fiat 500 variants. Fiat provided the technical components and knowledge, Pirelli provided the tires, and Bianchi created the bodies and assembled the vehicles. The body was designed by Luigi Rapi. The first product produced under this new venture was the Bianchina which was based on the Fiat 500 and offered luxury features not found on the 500. The first body style to roll off the assembly line was the 'Transformable' and would remain as the only body-style available until 1960, when the Cabriolet was introduced.
Diminutive yet bursting with an abundance of sporting character, the Bianchina offered sturdy and widely available Fiat 500 mechanical components with luxurious levels of trim for the era. The understated yet captivating Bianchina was further enhanced by a series of mechanical upgrades, including a lowered suspension, which contributed to a sportier ride. Despite its small two-cylinder air-cooled engine mounted in the rear of the car, the Bianchina was quite a capable performer, with a top speed of 60 mph and an estimated range of nearly 300 miles. Fuel economy reportedly approached a very impressive 50 mpg. While the Bianchina was just one of the many fascinating European micro cars that were available during the 1950s and 1960s, it was an unqualified success. In fact, with its decidedly sporty demeanor and limited-production cachet, it was quickly regarded by enthusiasts as the rich man’s’ F1.
We would like to extend a special thank you to Pittsburgh based Dan Vaughan from ConceptCarz for providing some of the specific details and history on several of the award winners.
Where to next? Click a button
