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La dolce vita: the Spiaggina beach cars

The birth of the Spiaggina (Spiaggia = Beach) takes place in the immediate post-war period at the initiative of some Italian coachbuilders which transformed small mass production cars in order to make them suitable for the needs of wealthy customers during the holiday period in the seaside resorts.

The Fiat 600 Elaborate

The Fiat 600 was undoubtedly the car that accompanied Italy through the economic boom. When it was presented it was very popular thanks to its modern lines, the brilliant engine and a cockpit large enough to fit the whole family. The demand for the 600 was so high that Fiat was unable to meet the waiting times, so that many relied on the coachbuilders in order to get its small family car sooner, even at the cost of a higher price.

Interview with Paul Breuer: a Belgian in Italy

Paul Breuer was born in Verviers in 1946 where he lived with his family until the age of twenty. A summer internship in Italy opened him the gate to an outstanding car design career in the most important design centers of the world.  We want to thank Paul for this interessting chat , in which we go back through his career.

The Fiat 8V

In March 1952, Fiat surprised the world at the Geneva Motor Show with the Fiat 8V. A two-seater sports car that was also designed as a racing car. What was surprising was that Fiat had not shown any interest in re-entering the racing scene up to this point.

The Partnership between Ghia & Chrysler

There are in the history of companies, just as in the history of nations, certain fateful episodes, which have an influence on the course of events well in excess of their actual importance. Chrysler’s request to Ghia to build for them, to their design, a special body on a Plymouth chassis, is one of these episodes.

This is how Ghia stole the De Tomaso Vallelunga from Fissore

The De Tomaso Vallelunga was presented as a concept car at the Turin Motor Show in 1964. De Tomaso initially intended to sell the Vallelunga project to some other car group, primarily Ford. However, no car manufacturer was interested in the purchase, so De Tomaso decided to build the car at its own expense. Production of the model was then assigned to Ghia. The design was instead the work of the Fissore bodywork.

Automobiles with Ghia-Design wanted

The international Concours d’Elegance ASC-Classic-Gala Schwetzingen from 3 to 5 September 2021 is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of this creative Italian coachbuilding company and invites owners of rare Ghia automobiles to enter the Concours d’Elegance 2021, for which a separate trophy “Centennario Ghia 2021” has been created. Entries have already been received, promising a special Ghia show.