The Cisitalia 202 was one of the defining post-war Italian sports cars, celebrated as much for its engineering as for its styling. While the Pinin Farina-designed coupé entered the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, a small number of bespoke cabriolets and special-bodied variants were commissioned from coachbuilders including Vignale.… Read More Silver jewel: 1950 Cisitalia 202B Cabriolet by Vignale
The Fiat 1100 was one of Italy’s most versatile post-war platforms, serving as the basis for countless racing specials built by independent coachbuilders and skilled craftsmen. During the 1950s it was common for damaged production cars to be transformed into lightweight competition machines, often incorporating ideas borrowed from contemporary sports racers. Each was effectively a… Read More One-off: 1950 FIAT 1100S Barchetta by Cicognani
The Talbot-Lago Record T26 represented the pinnacle of the French marque’s post-war sedan production. Beneath its restrained appearance lay the celebrated 4.5-litre inline-six that also powered the sporting Grand Sport models, making it one of the most sophisticated luxury cars of its era. While most Record T26s were delivered with factory coachwork, a small number… Read More Black survivor: 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 by Chapron
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
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