The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The Fiat 508 C Mille Miglia is a 2-door, 2-seater sports car based on the chassis and 508 C engine, produced in 1938 and 1939. At the Mille Miglia in 1938, the debutant 508 C MM won its class , recording an average speed of 112 km / h (70 mph) and overall 16th place. The new body of the coupe had a particular but highly aerodynamic shape, characterized by a flat and elongated roof line, a truncated tail and some very modern features such as an unbroken fender line and smooth sides: first on a Fiat.
According to Giacosa (chief engineer of Fiat) the inspiration for the body of the sports coupe derives from the observation that during the test a prototype of a Fiat Topolino van could reach a higher top speed than the sedan on which it was based. The shape of the body was then improved using a number of 1: 5 scale models and the wind tunnel of the University of the Polytechnic of Turin.
An elegant convertible, built in 1949 on the popular Fiat 1100 B chassis by Stabilimenti Farina in very few speciments, remains the emblem of this extraordinary coachbuilding of cars in the early 1950s. The resemblance to Ferrari’s 166 Inter is surprising, which let to controversy between Giovanni Farina and Enzo Ferrari.
