It wasn’t originally meant to be a “flagship.” When the Fiat 132 was new, it was just the latest iteration of Fiat’s large family car – descended from the old Fiat 1400/1500 and its immediate…
Posts tagged Made In Italy
Alfa-Romeo Junior Z: The Far Out Future
Zagato-bodied Alfas in the 1960s were built for speed. Although Carrozzeria Zagato was generally known for outrageous styling, much of it was modeled on function – Alfa’s TZ and SZ Giulias were beautiful, but they…
Flashback: Alfa 1900 Berlina in Ascona
Greetings from 1950s Switzerland! From Ascona, on the north end of Lake Maggiore, to be exact. A pair of Simca Arondes (a Berline and a Grand Large hardtop) face away from us and a Hillman…
Moretti 850 Sportiva: Dino in Miniature
Moretti as a manufacturer came to an end thirty years ago this month, after 64 years of producing motorcycles, sports cars, and what it was best known for by 1989 – Fiat based specials. The…
Glorious Swan Song:
Iso Lele
It ended up being the company’s last new production car, although nobody could have known that when the Iso Lele debuted in 1969. Meant to replace the original Iso GT, the Iso Rivolta IR300 that…
Last Call for the Maserati Brothers: OSCA 1600 GT2
There were seven Maserati Brothers in all – Carlo, Bindo, Alfieri (I), Alfieri (II), Mario, Ettore, and Ernesto. Carlo, the eldest, died in 1910 but worked for Fiat and Isotta-Fraschini. The third Brother, Alfieri (I)…
Maserati 228: Building a Better BiTurbo
It looks like a Maserati BiTurbo coupe and in a sense it is – but it’s not like other BiTurbos. It’s a Maserati 228 – also known as Tipo AM334. Until the 1990s and the…
Bella Berlina: Lancia Appia Series 2
As the pre-war Aprilia gave way to the 1950 Aurelia, so too eventually did the “junior” Lancia – the pre-war Ardea being replaced by the Appia in 1953. The Ardea may have looked old-fashioned, but…
Arachnophobia: Fiat 850 Spider
Fiat intentionally designed the 850 Spider to be a “first” sports car for buyers who wanted something cooler than a 600 or 850 sedan, but were still on a tight budget. Being tiny and cheap…
Raising Arese: Alfa-Romeo Milano
The Alfa-Romeo 75 was the House of Arese’s replacement for the first “Nuova Giulietta,” which ran from 1977 to 1985, but Americans had never seen the wedge-shaped Giuletta, or the AlfaSud, or the Alfa Six,…
The First Italian Supercar: the F.I.A.T. 60HP
It would be unusual for Fiat to take aim at Mercedes with a supercar today, but 1905 was a very different time. The mighty Fiat 60HP was aimed directly at Daimler and was one of…
Twilight of the Big Alfas: Alfa-Romeo 2600 Spider
It’s an Alfa-Romeo and it’s a Spider, but possibly not the one you’re used to seeing. The 1962-65 Alfa 2600 Spider was Alfa’s senior droptop in the 1960s, part of the flagship 106-series 2600 range….