Beschreibung:

1089cc OHV Inline 4-Cylinder Engine Single Weber Downdraft Carburetor 52bhp at 5,200rpm 4-Speed Manual Transmission Independent Front Suspension – Live Rear Axle 4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes *Pietro Frua's First original design for his own company, One-Off *Debuted at 1947 Concorso di Como, (Coppa Villa d'Este) 2nd in Class *Hailed as new direction in automotive design *Mille Miglia Storica 2016 and Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2017 participant *Finalist, Octane 'Restoration of the Year' 2017 *Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2018 THE FIAT FRUA SPIDER There can only be one "first". This sleek, dramatic two-place sports spider is the calling card of one of the most talented and prolific automotive designers of the 20th Century, Pietro Frua. Frua would go on to have a brilliant career in design, which lasted until his passing in 1983. Frua was perhaps best known for his work on Maserati chassis from the '50s through the '70s but he also worked to create memorable styling for AC, Glas, BMW, Fiat, Monteverdi and Lancia among others. Born in Turin, Italy in 1913, Frua was hired, when still a teenager, by the well-established Stablimenti Farina coachbuilding firm as a draftsman in 1930. His talent was such that he quickly rose to become Director of Styling by the time he was 22. He left Stabilmenti Farina to open his own studio in 1938, but had a very slow start during which he found work creating appliances and children's cars while doing minor repair and modification work on existing vehicles. At the end of World War II, in 1944, Frua purchased a factory that had been heavily damaged by bombing and prepared to launch his business in the manner he had envisioned- with complete cars of his own design and built by his team of craftsmen. Aiming to put his marker down as a force to be reckoned with in the promising post-war marketplace, Frua looked to have a show-stopping car ready for the first Italian concours events to be held in 1947. Both because of financial constraints and to appeal to the widest possible potential audience, Frua chose to clothe a Fiat chassis for his debut. The Fiat 1100 was introduced in 1937 and built until 1953. Designed by noted engineer Dante Giacosa, it was a comfortable family car powered by an in inline 4-cylinder engine of 1089cc displacement, and for the period, its comfort, handling, and performance were prodigious. It featured rear wheel drive with a 4-speed gearbox and unusually for a modestly priced car of the time was built with independent front suspension with a leaf sprung live rear axle. After World War II, the car was re-introduced with a new name, the 1100E. It also received a bit more power, with 35hp in standard tune. While most of the production was of 4-door sedans, almost all Italian coachbuilders, or "carrozzerie" created one-off and small series models on the chassis. The chassis of this Fiat 1100C was sold by the factory to Carrozzeria Balbo in the middle of June 1946 and transferred to Pietro Frua shortly thereafter. The completed car was delivered new to Luigi Critterio on September 3, 1946 and sold to Gino Bubbolini on September 28th. For some reason, a late entry prevented it from being considered for judging at the 1947 Concorso held in June at the Royal Gardens in Turin, Italy. Its first "official" outing would be in September 1947 at the Concorso di Como Coppa Villa d'Este. This was the first postwar concours event on Lake Como, taking up the mantle of the pre-war Concorso Villa d'Este. The Frua Fiat was entered by Alvise DePasquale, a Fiat dealer, as entry #10. Pietro Frua achieved his goal in capturing the attention of both the public and the press with his ultra-modern spider. Favorable mention was made of the 1100C Spider in the leading Italian motoring magazines, Auto Italiana and MotorItalia. Writing in Issue #3 1947 of the latter, correspondent Stefano Bricarelli stated, "The sobriety of the original and most modern line, of this two-seater sport by the Carrozzeri