Beschreibung:

Based on the highly successful 508 Balilla saloon - the first FIAT of the inter-war years to be named as well as numbered - the 508 Balilla Sport competition version was inspired by an original design by Carrozzeria Ghia. FIAT purchased the rights, manufacturing two versions: the Coppa d’Oro (Gold Cup) and lightweight Mille Miglia, named after successes gained in these demanding long distance events. Clothed in stylish open two-seater bodywork with finned tail, the original Ballila was powered by a tuned version of the saloon’s 995cc four-cylinder sidevalve engine. The latter drive the rear wheels via a three-speed gearbox and was installed in a cruciform braced chassis equipped with Lockheed hydraulic brakes and wire wheels. Introduced in 1934, the second series improved on this successful formula, adopting a four-speed synchromesh gearbox and an overhead-valve engine producing 36bhp. The 508 Balilla Sport was well received by the motoring press and historians. “The Balilla Sport to my mind is the ancestor of the small sports car,” opined Michael Sedgwick, while Light Car’s Dennis May praised its acceleration, steering and “decidedly naughty exhaust note.” Motor Sport’s Bill Boddy reckoned the 508 Sport, “a much sought-after car that left a very profound mark on the sports scene to which many British drivers turned to for competition.” Tested by Autocar in 1935 a Balilla Sport raced through the quarter mile at 73.77mph. Seventeen years later the magazine re-tested, lapping modern Goodwood, chicane included, at 68.7 mph, an extraordinary feat that speaks volumes about the Balilla Sport’s cornering power. Despite its age the car was still winning races in the immediate post-war years, adding to a formidable reputation built on numerous victories in classic events in the pre-WW2 era, including the Mille Miglia, Monte Carlo Rally, Targa Florio, Spa Francorchamps 24-Hour, Ulster TT and Le Mans. This rare 508 Balilla Sport ‘Coppa d’Oro’ Series 2 from the collection of L Scott Bailey, founding Editor and Publisher of Automobile Quarterly Publications, is a ground-up restoration undertaken by Wilkinson & Sharp, of Philadelphia, PA at a cost of $50,000, with the advice and help of both Augusto Constantino and Antonio Amadeli of the FIAT Museum Centro Storico, and of Dr. Veniero Molari. Restoration files, etc, are available for inspection. Upon purchase from the FIAT Museum Curator, and before restoration, the car was loaned to Pininfarina, assisting in the introduction of the FIAT Dino (“FIAT’s first sportscar; FIAT’s newest sportscar.”) and after completion in 1984 guested at Meadowbrook, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Arts Automobile and Culture Exhibit. It has also been invited to the Mille Miglia. We are advised that some 4,000-or-so (non-competitive) miles have been covered since restoration. A quantity of related literature is included in the sale, comprising: sales catalogue information, ‘508 Balilla’ (Editor, Giorgio Nada), cut-out drawing by Betti, vehicle registration documents and Autocar post-war series reprint: “On Balillas at Brooklands.” Finished in red with black leather interior, the vehicle is presented in good condition throughout, having been kept in heated, de-humidified storage as part of its owner’s private collection. Offered with current MoT certificate and Swansea V5, it represents an opportunity to acquire one of the rarest, most charismatic and highly sought after of FIAT’s pre-war sportscars, eligible for a wide variety of prestigious historic events.