1953 Siata 208 CS Berlinetta

The relationship between Siata and Fiat dates to 1926, when Giorgio Ambrosini established the Società Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori in Torino. Among the earliest Italian firms devoted specifically to improving the performance of production automobiles, Siata developed overhead-valve conversions, multi-speed gearboxes, superchargers, and competition equipment for Fiat’s popular models. After WWII, the company progressed from supplying specialist components to constructing complete automobiles of its own. ‌ Siata’s ambitions took a significant step forward with the introduction of the Daina in 1950, its first independently developed chassis. Soon afterward came the Farina-bodied Gran Sport and diminutive 750 Spider, cars that established the company’s characteristic formula: sophisticated Fiat-derived mechanical components, lightweight construction, and individually tailored coachwork. ‌ This approach reached its fullest expression with the 208 CS, developed around Fiat’s remarkable two-liter V-8. Known as the Otto Vu, this compact, all-aluminum engine had been created for Fiat’s limited-production 8V sports car, which debuted at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show. Its unusual 70° configuration, oversquare dimensions, and twin Weber carburetors gave it a free-revving character ideally suited to competition. ‌ Drawing upon its close relationship with Fiat, Siata installed a specially prepared version of the V-8 in a lightweight, oval-tube chassis fitted with a five-speed gearbox. Four-wheel independent suspension with coil springs placed the resulting 208 CS among the most technically advanced sports cars of its day. With approximately 110 bhp and exceptionally light construction, it was conceived as a genuine dual-purpose automobile, equally suited to road use and competition in the fiercely contested two-liter category. ‌ The earliest 208 CS coupes were bodied by Stabilimenti Farina and featured retractable headlamps and a low, competition-oriented cockpit. When the coachbuilder ceased operations at the end of 1952, construction passed to nearby Carrozzeria Successori Balbo. Balbo retained the fundamental character of the original design while introducing distinctive details, most notably an intricate eggcrate grille and subtly revised proportions. ‌ Just nine 208 CS Berlinettas were bodied by Balbo, of which only six are known to survive. Individually shaped and assembled by hand, each possesses its own construction details and idiosyncrasies. These rare coupes rank among the most distinctive Italian sports cars of the early 1950s, combining advanced engineering with the unmistakable character of limited-production coachwork. ‌ Chassis CS 072 is believed to have been completed in April 1953, and its provenance from new has now been documented through research conducted by Archivio Targhe using original French registration documents and Automobile Club d’Italia records. On August 5, 1953, Jean-François Du Quenne purchased the new Siata directly from the factory and registered it in France as "12 AS 63." A wealthy entrepreneur and sports-car enthusiast, Du Quenne had first encountered the Balbo-bodied 208 CS in Clermont-Ferrand through his friend Jean Boussign, who had acquired chassis CS 065 earlier that year. ‌ After approximately three years of limited use, Du Quenne sold CS 072 to Milan exotic-car dealer SAIGARAGE. On April 18, 1956, the firm sold the Siata to Gaetano Florio “Tanino” Pessina of Capiago, near Como, and it was registered as "CO 51792." A member of a prominent family engaged in silk printing, Pessina had helped establish its highly successful textile interests in Brazil. An enthusiastic sportsman and connoisseur of fine automobiles, he maintained an impressive stable of specially commissioned cars and enjoyed close relationships with leading Italian coachbuilders. ‌ Pessina’s specification for CS 072 was inspired by chassis CS 065, which had appeared at the 1953 Concours d’Elegance Automobile de Royat finished in silver-gray and wearing Borrani wire wheels with whitewall tires. Impressed by its appearance, Pessina had CS 072 presented in a similar show-car configuration – the historical precedent for the car’s appearance today. ‌ On January 18, 1958, Pessina sold the Siata to Cesare Musmeci, a Como automobile dealer specializing in prestigious marques, particularly Ferrari and Maserati. Musmeci retained it briefly, selling it on April 3 to Andrea Ravizza, a Milanese industrialist and Ferrari client then residing in Florence. CS 072 remained with Ravizza until July 2, 1959, when it was acquired by Italian Air Force Lieutenant Giuseppe Capaldi and re-registered in Bari. ‌ A sports-car and racing enthusiast, Capaldi had trained with the US Air Force at Fort Bliss, Texas, in connection with the development of Italy’s missile and radar-defense systems. When he returned to the US in 1960, he brought the Siata with him, beginning the car’s long American history. By 1964, CS 072 had been acquired by Gordon Gumble of Tucson, Arizona. Period photographs reproduced in Tony Adriaensens’ definitive Ottovu: Siata Derivata Fiat show Gumble proudly standing beside the car, then finished in red. In July 1968, he sold it to noted California collector Charles Betz, a dedicated Italian-car enthusiast and acquaintance of Los Angeles Siata distributor Ernie McAfee who would eventually own six examples of the marque. ‌ In 1984, Betz sold CS 072 to German collector Peter Kaus, who returned it to Europe and incorporated it into his celebrated Rosso Bianco Collection. When Dutch collector Evert Louwman acquired the Rosso Bianco holdings in 2004, the Siata was included among the collection’s many important competition and sports cars. Acquired in 2006 by Pasadena architect Tim Walker, CS 072 was subsequently restored and presented at Pebble Beach in 2017, earning Third in Class, and later displayed at The Quail. ‌ Gooding & Company offered CS 072 at its 2021 Pebble Beach Auctions, where it was acquired by noted Italian-car collector Stephen Bruno. Renowned for his collection of exotic, custom-bodied automobiles, Bruno later sold the Siata to its current owner, a California-based collector whose holdings primarily comprise coachbuilt Italian sports cars carefully selected for their aesthetic beauty and mechanical sophistication. ‌ Determined to elevate its presentation, the current owner entrusted CS 072 to RX Autoworks of North Vancouver, British Columbia. Internationally respected for its work on significant custom-bodied European automobiles, RX Autoworks has earned many of the concours world’s foremost distinctions, including Best of Show at Pebble Beach. ‌ The Siata received an extensive cosmetic and mechanical concours-quality restoration, emerging in metallic anthracite over a beautifully tailored brown interior. Chrome Borrani wire wheels and tall whitewall tires complete its historically inspired presentation, accentuating the Balbo Berlinetta’s low roofline, sweeping fenders, and jewel-like detailing. ‌ Making its post-restoration debut at Pebble Beach in 2025, CS 072 earned First in Class in Postwar Sports Touring and the prestigious Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car Trophy. Further recognition followed in 2026, when the Siata appeared at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and received First in Class and Best Italian Berlinetta honors at Hampton Court Palace. ‌ Still presented in concours condition, CS 072 retains engine CS 065, a correct Fiat tipo 104 V-8 whose number corresponds to the Siata data plate. With its advanced engineering, fully documented provenance, award-winning presentation, and extraordinarily rare coachwork, it embodies the ingenuity and artistry that define the finest Italian etceterini. Its appearance at Retromobile New York presents a fitting opportunity to celebrate – and acquire – one of the most exotic and compelling European sports cars of the 1950s. ‌ car

Schätzpreis:€1,781,500

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