The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
Immediately after the Second World War, Fiat was in a difficult situation financially. Thanks to the help provided by the Marshall Plan, the factories which had been destroyed during the war were rebuilt and the Turin-based manufacturer returned to a level of production comparable to the 1930s. New models were then introduced, including the Fiat 1100, which was produced in several different versions, among them a rare Coupé designed by Pinin Farina.
The Fiat 1100ES Coupé Pininfarina was more elegant and more GT-like, with a more luxurious interior and, above all, a well-balanced design which could be mistaken for that of the Lancia Aurelia B20 GT. First shown in 1949, the Fiat Coupé retained the stylish wind-cheating front screen, but was characterized by its slender and more shapely bodywork, which brought to mind the most beautiful Italian coachwork produced by the likes of Maserati, Siata, Stanguellini or Cisitalia. Externally, there was no difference between the S and ES models, but the interior of the S was more basic, while the ES had a better stocked dashboard, a front bench seat in place of two separate seats and even a small bench seat in the rear. Whether you looked at the pushbutton switches, the door trim, quarterlight catches or exterior door handles, Fiat had never demonstrated such refinement down to the smallest detail. A number of prizes gleaned at concours d’élégance moreover rewarded this timeless beauty, of which “officially” 400 speciments were produced until 1951. Today, it is thought that fewer than ten examples of the Fiat 1100ES Coupé Pininfarina remain in the world.
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.
