The owner of this stunning example asked us to feature it, and we are pleased to do so, as the work performed on this car is truly remarkable, with extreme attention paid to every detail. The restoration began from a fairly complete base, yet it required a considerable effort to achieve the result you can… Read More Born again: 1950 Fiat 1100 S by Pininfarina
The microcar market is flooded with BMW Isettas — those built by the Bavarian factory under license from the Milan-based company — but actual Isos are a rare sight, and this is one of the few. The Iso Isetta was originally developed in Italy by Iso SpA, a company based in Bresso (near Milan) that… Read More The original one: 1953 Iso Isetta
And here’s another “Vittoria,” the same name for a car that is neither a Lancia nor built by Bertone: this one is based on a Fiat 1100B and constructed by Balbo, one of the historic coachbuilders from Turin and arguably one of the “top five,” if such a ranking existed. Unlike the car featured on… Read More Pillarless rarity: 1950 Fiat 1100 Vittoria by Balbo
If this design looks familiar to you, we have the explanation: this car is the smaller version of the ‘Supergioiello’ based on Alfa Romeo, which we have previously featured. Both were designed by the genius Michelotti for the Ghia coachbuilder, which produced a significant number (relatively speaking, of course—we are talking about 10-15 units at… Read More The little sister: 1950 Fiat 1100B Gioiello by Ghia
Indeed, 1500 cc might not seem like a large engine displacement, but considering that the common Italian car at the time had an engine of 875 cc, this was a car with a six-cylinder engine and almost double the displacement: not as expensive as an Alfa Romeo, but certainly not a car for everyone. Moreover,… Read More Big engine: 1950 Fiat 1500E “Vittoria” by Balbo
The Simca 8 Sport Coupe’s design roots can be traced back to the illustrious Italian design house Pininfarina, marking a significant chapter in automotive history. This particular model mirrors the luxury and style seen in high-end sports cars of its time, reminiscent of contemporaries such as Cisitalia and Ferrari. Its production was a result of… Read More French grey: 1950 Simca 8 Sport Coupé
If you want to get an idea of what this car might have looked like in 1950, try searching for other foreign cars produced in the same year, and you will realize how advanced cars like this were in terms of design. Even now, this car shows its age, yet its proportions are still perfect… Read More One of very few: 1950 Lancia Aurelia B50 Coupé by Vignale
Perhaps not many people know that BMW cars were branded as EMW for about four years, starting from the end of the Second World War. This was because the automobile factory in Eisenach, a city in Thuringia (not Bavaria), housed the Bavarian brand’s car manufacturing facility, which was restarted by the Soviet government. EMW was… Read More Boomer: 1950 BMW/EMW 340-0
And here, from the magnificent era of great coachbuilders, comes another specimen that we could define as more unique than rare. It is one of the early works of Alfredo Vignale, who had opened his body shop only two years earlier, in 1948, and like many unique or very limited series cars built at the… Read More Green and cream: 1950 Fiat 1400 Cabriolet by Vignale
If you think you’ve already seen this car, you’re right: you probably saw it on Classic Virus earlier this year, but we felt it was necessary to republish it as there are now more photos and more information. First of all, it should be mentioned that this car belonged to a single family of noble… Read More Green orchid/2: 1950 Fiat 1400 Orchidea by Vignale
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