The Cisitalia Company was founded in 1946 by racing driver Piero Dusio. Cisitalia is most known for their groundbreaking Cisitalia 202 Coupe. Pininfarina designed the Cisitalia 202 in 1946. The two-seater Cisitalia "202" GT was an aesthetic and technical achievement. Everything about it was new, and ultra modern at the time; the body was conceived from studies on aerodynamics. Dusio wanted a sleek car, and Pininfarina gave it to him. The body of the car is one smooth flowing surface. The hood, body, fenders, and headlights are integral to the continuously flowing surface, rather than added on. Before the Cisitalia, the prevailing approach followed by automobile designers when defining a volume and shaping the shell of an automobile was to treat each part of the body as a separate, distinct element; a box to house the passengers, another for the motor, and headlights as appendages. In the Cisitalia, there are no sharp edges. Swellings and depressions maintain the overall flow and unity, creating a sense of speed; the Cisitalia looks fast even when it’s standing still.
The name "Cisitalia" derives from "Consorzio Industriale Sportive Italia," a business conglomerate founded in Turin in 1946 and controlled by the wealthy industrialist and sportsman Piero Dusio. Dusio was also an amateur racing car driver, and he commissioned several automobiles from Europe's leading designers. He provided Pininfarina with the tuned Fiat powered chassis on which to build his car. The Cisitalia was essentially a hand built car. The aluminum body panels were shaped over wooden forms. Because of this time consuming process, only 170 models were produced between 1947 and 1952. When first presented to the public at the Villa d'Este Gold Cup show in Como, Italy, and at the 1947 Paris Automobile Show, the Cisitalia "202" GT was a resounding success.
Specs
- Production period- 1947-49
- No. produced- 153 Coupe, 17 Cabriolet.
- Layout- Front-engined, Rwd.
- Chassis- Tubular space frame
- Gearbox- 4M
- Engine- Inline-4, ohv, 2v/cyl.
- Capacity- 1089 c.c.
- Powe- 60 hp
- Weight- 890 kg
- Top speed- approx. 97 mph
Sources:
Cisitalia World
http://www.moma.org/autobodies/cisitalia.html