CC5Cinema: Return of the Spiders!

Benvenuti amici!

The title of this blog entry tells you everything you need to know about the content therein. We follow-up our short history of the legendary X1/9 with an abbreviated look at the evolution of the FIAT Spider… specifically, the infamous 1966 124 Sport Spider.

Drawing from his [Pininfarina] designs of the  Corvette Rondine & Ferrari 275 GTS, Tom Tjaarda helped FIAT birth a never-to-be-repeated ultimate sunny day driver. Correction. The inventor of the city car recently revealed their plan to deliver a new 124 Spider for 2017 (from a former Pininfarina designer). So, it is due time we revisit what was hinted about here and in our X Marks the Spot entry.

The idea of the original 124 [Sport] Spider took firmly planted root long ago. Like the original 500, she branches from the 508/508C Balilla family tree.

FIAT 508 Balilla Sport

FIAT 508S Bailla Spider

The idea of sporty, or as is truly the case sporting, versions of successful production models is as old as automobile history. The 508 Balilla, itself, earned that very honor. Spider variations of these sport cars had the distinction of competing in Grand Touring. Manufacturers would match their power engineering and body design for homeland and continental supremacy. This is still practiced, today, in closed and open-wheeled endurance Motorsport (following the path paved by FIAT's purpose-built 24hp Corsa). But there was also a burgeoning production niche for these open-aired variants.

FIAT 1100 TV Transformabile

FIAT 1200 Spider

Like many other automakers, FIAT seized the opportunity to capitalize on the increasingly expensive to manufacture sporting coaches. (We owe the very existence of street legal Ferraris to the high cost of racing.) Sport, Sport Spider and… eventually… GIANNINI or ABARTH versions were quickly added to the range or "family" of the most important models. With transformabile, cabrio or spider (Also; spyder and roadster outside of Italy) variants of the 1100 and 1200, the groundwork was laid for the cross-continetal pleasing 124.

The FIAT 124 made good use of the DNA developed in its predecessors and the size-to-power ratio challenge sorted by its older cousins, the iconic 600 and 500. Putting to work all that had been discovered, under the leadership of don Dante Giacosa, countless engineers toiled and finally created a fine 4-door family sedan that worked well in the city and was ripe for range building.

FIAT 124 Sport Famiglia

The 124 family of runabouts was a crucial variable in the success equation of FIAT in the mid-to-late '60s and '70s... complete with the sedan, coupè, wagon and sport models. As the automaker did with so many sales hits before it, the [Oscar Montabone] simple and affordable city sedan was handed to "amici di famiglia" for a fresh look and a quick spin. This time, the task was entrusted to the House of Farina. Of course, the Pininfarina-penned open cockpit version -- of the in-house designed Sport -- was nothing short of elegance on wheels. This further cemented FIAT S.p.A. as the premier producer of the working stiff's sport car… in/outside of Italy.

The coach builder reports 80% of all 124 Sport Spiders ever built were sold in North America, specifically the US of A. So, when rumors of a second coming began circulation the internet was alight with artist renderings and other speculative fodder. I, myself, have seen/read/heard more musings than I can recall in this entry. Rather than add to what you can already find elsewhere, I choose to offer a bit of the past that got us to where we are today. I also offer you comparative photos of vintage 124s and their contemporary counterparts.

As I leave you to your critiquing, I encourage an attention to the details… bonnets, grilles, head/tail lights and forward/rear "overhang". Look to the stance and attitude of what has been built upon the Mazda chassis. Determine, for yourself, whether the modern 124 Spider has retained the soul the Sports and Sport Spiders that came and went before it without aping what their designers delivered to showroom floors. More importantly, post-research and/or investigation, I beseech you to answer two questions.

Does the spirit of the 124 Sport Spider and FIAT Dino Spider burn in the heart of these images? Is there something worth celebrating in this new halo car?

Lines & Curves Do Not Lie

                     

Whether or not FIAT hit the mark with the coming of the ABARTH 500-powered 124 Sport Spider remains to be seen (next summer). Now, for the sake of this fan of hardtops & targas, bring on an Alfa Romeo-powered 124 ABARTH Rally variation. Can you hear all iterations of these wonderful runabouts roaring through backroads, streets and highways now? Heed their call...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@

Amici di Famiglia

Benvenuti amici!

A few entries past, I wrote about the ABARTH-Giannini rivalry (and my desire to see the modern 500T marketed as a Giannini 500TV). Those carrozzerias, or coach builders, enjoyed long and mutually beneficial relationships with FIAT S.p.A., while the runabout market took root & grew worldwide. In fact, one did so well the Agnellis bought the company and the 'Scorpio Rising' badge is inseparable from that of its parent company. 

FIAT | ABARTH: A Perfect Match

But there were other carrozzerias building MODern Art on Wheels for the Italo-global automotive legend. There was a time the notoriety of these brilliant houses of design genius rivaled the fame of the source of their commissions. That time seems to have all but passed. Matt DeLorenzo, former Road & Track Editor-in-Chief, speculated the end of the Carrozzeria Age in a 2012 piece published by AutoBlog. To his credit, several Italian design houses & coach builders no longer exist. But I would like to believe there is still a place for these kinds of exciting & innovative industrial art groups. 

Carrozzeria Piancenti | Italia

Gruppo Bertone, Carrozzeria Pietro Frua, Carrozzeria Ghia Torino, Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi, Carrozzeria Pininfarina S.p.A. and Carrozzeria Zagato Srl Milano have designed and/or built many of the most breathtaking coaches of and for any brand from the moment they hit the auto show circuit, the street, the track or… in some cases… the beach. This entry will focus on those houses and some of the special models they brought to market. Read on.

Carrozzeria/Gruppo Bertone | Torino

Gruppo Bertone, most beloved by many FIATisti for their design and later work manufacturing the 1972 X1/9, was founded in 1912. But the first Bertone-designed FIAT was the 1921 501 Sport Siluro Corsa. This would be their first high performance sports car… the herald of what would scribe the family name on the hearts of Italian automobile aficionados. Some of the next major steps for the group were the FIAT 527S Ardita 2500, the FIAT 1500 Aerodinamica and the FIAT 1500 Torpedo. 

Following the WWII, the Bertones would continue their focus on performance cars. Sporty continues to be the calling card of Bertone design style. It is the single most distinguishing factor between the offerings of the design house and that of its carrozzeria comrades & competitors.

FIAT 500 | Barchetta

FIAT | ABARTH 1500 Biposto

FIAT 850 Spider

FIAT | ABARTH 1000 OT Spider

FIAT | Dino Coupé

FIAT X1/9

In 1965, the House of Bertone introduced the Seicento-based FIAT 850 Spider and the company found themselves reaching new levels of popularity as well as entering a new era in design & manufacturing. Gruppo Bertone continues today as a design house marque.

Carrozzeria Pietro Frua | Torino

Carrozzeria Ghia | Torino

These carozzerias are very easily mistaken for one another. This is mostly due to don Pietro Frua selling his thirteen years young carrozzeria to Ghia, in 1957, and being appointed their Design Chief. The earliest known example of Frua design is the 1946 FIAT 1100C Spider. Carrozzeria Ghia, with don Frua at the design helm, also produced several memorable concepts for FIAT… their hometown hero. The designs from Frua | Ghia are whimsical.

FIAT 500 Frua

FIAT 1500 GT Ghia

FIAT 500 + 600 Jolly Ghia

In 1973, Ghia was sadly reduced to a top trim level at Ford Motor Company. But the absurdly exclusive spirit of true Ghias lives on through surviving carrozzerias… such as Castagna Milano.

Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi

Gone long before its time, Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi was active from 1950 through their closing in 1973. Don Lombardi focused exclusively on luxury versions of already well-established production models. On his 'greatest hits' list are; the FIAT 1100, the FIAT 1400, the FIAT 1800 and the FIAT 2300 limousine… the world's first 'Popemobile'. Lombardi also focused on 4-dr versions of established FIATs. They (the 600, 850 and 127) carried the Lucciola monicker. But the most successful Lombardi design was the FIAT 500 'My Car'.

Carrozzeria Pininfarina S.p.A.

Perhaps the best known Italian design house, Pininfarina is named after its founder… Battista 'Pinin' Farina. Since 1930, the industrial art maestro has been consulting, designing and building for some of the top brands in Italy, France, the USA, China and Korea. The Farina family business sets the gold standard for industries beyond automotive and has influenced industrial design for decades. Don Battista broke away from his father's business, Stabilimenti Farina, and began the founding process of his own in 1928. The first known builder to use the unibody technique, don Farina hit the ground with all four wheels leaving dust in their wake. 

At the end of Italy's involvement in the WII, Pininfarina would introduce what would be credited with formally establishing the brand… the Cisitalia 202 Coupé… and the world of automobile design would never be the same. Even today, their performance models are always tempered with the Farina touch of undeniable elegance.

FIAT 1100TV GT

FIAT 1300/1500 

FIAT 2300 S Coupé

FIAT 124 Spider

FIAT | Dino Spider

FIAT | Dino Ginevra

The House of Farina has consistently created brand defining and industry inspiring designs. Their signature style can be easily identified in many disciplines. Visit the Pininfarina S.p.A. site & Facebook page to learn more.

Carrozzeria Zagato Srl | Milano

Two is company and three… according to Bertone & Pininfarina... is better company. In the opinion of this fan, no self-respecting FIATista would leave Zagato off their list of Top 5 design carrozzerias. Setting up his own automobile & aeronautical repair shop, don Ugo Zagato aimed to learn from both industries and combine them to create what he thought a motorized coach should be… light & fast. It comes as no surprise, then, that Zagato often teamed with don Karl 'Carlo' Abarth to create some of the fastest (and wildest looking) FIATs of their time.

FIAT 500B | Panoramica

FIAT | ABARTH 500 Coupé

FIAT | ABARTH 750 GT

FIAT | ABARTH 850 Record Monza

FIAT 500 Z-ECO 

FIAT 500 Coupé Zagato

In the present day, and likely into the future, Zagato Milano continues to offer designs that evoke the feeling of speed… even when parked curbside. I, for one, would not have it any other way.

The market has most certainly changed. As the, now, very much global business forces automakers to find more efficient & affordable ways to bring their investments in industrial design to showrooms. Ofttimes, localization is the most effective approach to achieving this. Carrozzerias have been purchased or left to close their doors in the process. But the burning heart of the Italian coach builder has not stopped beating. 

Romeo Ferraris Srl Milano is one of the most exciting things happening on the car culture scene. Their brilliantly outrageous takes on FIATs and ABARTHs rival those of their Bertone & Zagato ancestors. We can see the influence they are having on hot hatch style and performance. 

Exhibit A: The first modern 500 to take place in the Gumball 3000 Rally was a Ferraris work of industrial art. The ABARTH division of FIAT S.p.A. answered with the ABARTH 695 Biposto Official Car of Gumball 3000 2014. Need further proof of Romeo Ferraris level of awesome? Check out their website and Facebook page to learn more.

FIAT | ABARTH Cinquone

We can help these brave bastions of passion live on by continuing to support them in communicating our interest in the availability of their offerings. Their price tags may not fit into the budget of every fan, but their spirit keeps mainstream designers and 'garagisti' on their toes. And that's good for every petrol head on the planet.

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@