Beschreibung:

Body no. 5753 This Fiat 1600S coupe with O.S.C.A. derived 1600 cc twin cam engine is one of Fissore’s most elegant and important designs. The model was introduced at the Torino Motorshow in 1962 where it got praise for its elegance, high quality of manufacturing and beautiful split rear window design. Fissore constructed this coupe in steel and light alloy on the new Fiat 1600 S chassis. It combined high performance with matching looks, superb braking due to the Girling three pod disc brakes on all four wheels and a Ferrari like interior with Nardi steering wheel, passenger footrest and Jaeger instruments. Very few of these cars were of the first series, the original Fissore design as was presented at the 44th Salone dell’automobile di Torino in the autumn of 1962. In 1963 the front section was modified to four headlights with changes to bumpers, traffic lights and eventually the beautiful split rear window construction was abandoned. One or two spyder versions were also included in this small series of special order cars. According to the Italian Car Register of John de Boer altogether less than 25 bodies of all variants were handcrafted by Fissore on the 1600S chassis platform. This 1600S Fissore model was also the cover car of Paolo Fissore’s well known book Carrozzeria Fissore edited by Giorgio Nada in 1991. Fissore’s design had an immediate success at the Torino show and the carrozzeria was persuaded to put the car in limited production. The press gave the car a very favorable reception: it was extensively described in the famous car design publication Style Auto (issue nr.1, spring 1963 ). The author claimed that, “the sporting styling is emphasized by the design of the air intake and the extended form of the flanks. Production was eventually halted because of the high costs imposed by hand craft manufacturing techniques”. In all leading magazines of the period this extraordinary design was presented and admired. It is recognized that next to the exotic and special OttoVu 2 liter cars of the early fifties the Fissore 1600 S with OSCA derived engine must be considered as one of Fiat’s most important and sought after post war creations. The car on offer is one of the very first examples constructed and consequently of the desirable first series. Originally painted bright red when sold in early 1963 it was discovered by its present owner—a long standing and well known collector of Italian thoroughbreds—in a barn west of Torino in 1999. The car had undergone a cosmetic restoration and was painted in medium blue. The engine was removed as was some of the trim, although all parts where present. The car was bought on the spot. The present owner recalls that only once before he has seen a similar car on the road: when in Milano driving his Cooper S in the mid sixties he was overtaken at high speed. As he tried to find out about the identity of this swift and beautiful metallic grey creation he started a pursuit but only managed to get a bit closer to the tail of this screaming car and discovered this to be a 1600S OSCA Fissore! After acquisition the Fissore coupe was taken to an Italian bodyshop (Carrozzeria Turrini, Pozzolengo) for removal of all paint and inspection of the panel work. In the meantime some of the engine work was entrusted to Sergio Allais in Giaveno (Torino). Being unsatisfied with the progress the car was transported to The Netherlands. Meticulous care was given to the repair of the dented metal section around the grille, the headlamp buckets and the sills. Doors, rear section, bonnet, and boot lid showed very little aging. The platform chassis was in good condition without signs of accidents. After completion of the panel work the car was taken to a body shop with a long experience in paintwork of Italian cars. It was decided to paint the car in a period correct shade of gunmetal as the original red was not considered to be suitable for this elegant car. In Italy the original upholstery was replaced by deep B