The auction house RM Sotheby’s will put on sale from the first to the eighth day of December 2021 a copy of Fiat 1100 Turismo Veloce “Desirée by Vignale” from 1956. The car, included among the lots of the Open Roads online auction, is valued among 80,000 and 115,000 euros by auction house experts.
The car was presented by Vignale at the Turin Motor Show in 1956. It is a car of other times, obviously not only for its lines; it is a clear example of how even at that time it was customary for coachbuilders to get busy with special and unique projects. Soon after would come the era of mass production for vehicles that would be built in the millions, with relentless assembly line work; while this 1100 TV is of another paste. Called Desirée, it features an in-line four-cylinder engine, capable of delivering 10% more power than the 1956 standard thanks to a higher compression ratio and Weber 36 DCL D3 carburetor configuration (49 horsepower, 15 more) .
In this specific case, Vignale’s Fiat 1100 TV Desirée, designed by Giovanni Michelotti, appears to be stationed in Eugene, Oregon; but its history speaks of sixty years of stay in Genoa, where it has accumulated a good part of its more than 90,000 kilometers. He participated in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2019 and is eligible to participate in the Mille Miglia. It will be sold together with the manual, the certificate of originality and the repair kit. Inside the car there is also a fairly rare vintage book, ‘Carrozzieri Italiani’. The interiors are in olive green, and they need some ‘extra’ care.
At the same price, as part of the Open Roads auction, si can purchase a 1999 Ferrari 360 Modena, with a completely different technology. However, the Fiat sellers will have to have some luck: recently a similar model, in a flamboyant two-tone livery, had been auctioned for slightly lower figures. And it is still unsold.
(images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)
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