The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The Cisitalia 202 SMM Nuvolari Spider.
The Cisitalia 202 SMM Nuvolari Spyder is a competition car manufactured by the Italian automotive company Cisitalia between 1947 and 1952. At the end of World War II, the Turin-based industrialist, sportsman, and semi-professional driver Piero Dusio founded the Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italia SA, shortly known as Cisitalia, to build competition cars and road-going GT cars. Following the success of the first car equipped with a tubular chassis and Fiat 1100 components, the D46 single-seater produced in several units, Dusio decided to develop a two-seater for Sport races, the 202 S MM (Sport Mille Miglia) or Nuvolari Spyder, and subsequently a road car, the future 202 Coupé, transferring the positive experiences gained. As previously done with the D46 single-seater, the head of the Cisitalia project Giovanni Savonuzzi, with the valuable collaboration of Dante Giacosa borrowed from Fiat, decided to use the tubular chassis because it was lighter and stiffer than the traditional chassis with longitudinal beams and cross members, allowing to mount the engine lower to improve the car’s handling. The rest of the mechanics derived from Fiat 1100 and 500 “Topolino” parts. On the chrome-molybdenum steel tubular chassis, a 1089 cc 4-cylinder in-line engine was mounted, derived from that of the Fiat 1100 but deeply elaborated, with a power of 60 hp at 5500 rpm. The aluminum cylinder head was completely new, as were the exhaust and intake manifolds, the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, and dry sump lubrication system. The rear solid axle and 4-speed manual gearbox were derived from the Fiat 1100, while the front independent suspension and steering came from the 500 “Topolino”. The wheels were spoked, and the brakes were drums. The 202 SMM featured a two-seater aluminum spider body with an aerodynamic design. The front was simple, with an oval opening for cooling covered by a grille with vertical aluminum slats. Circular headlights were placed on the fenders, higher than the hood, and covered by splash guard grilles. The pronounced rear fins were present, and on the tail, there were rear lights and a door that concealed the spare wheel with the license plate holder and a Cisitalia inscription in cursive. The interior was Spartan but functional, with a three-spoke wood-rimmed steering wheel on the left and a floor-mounted gear lever. The Cisitalia 202 SMM Nuvolari Spyder made its debut at the Sassi – Superga hill climb on May 15, achieving a third place, and later participated in the Mille Miglia. Despite adverse weather conditions, Tazio Nuvolari managed to bring the car to second place overall, demonstrating his exceptional driving skills.
The Cisitalia 202 is particularly important to automotive history both because it was the first car in the world to be permanently exhibited in a modern art museum, the MoMA in New York, and because it can be considered the first example of the postwar Italian-style granturismo.
