1946 Fiat 1100C Spider Coachwork by Carrozzeria Frua

1946 Fiat 1100C Spider Coachwork by Carrozzeria Frua

The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 to 1969 by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was an all-new unibody replacement for the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The 1100 was changed steadily and gradually until being replaced by the new Fiat 128 in 1969. There were also a series of light commercial versions of the 1100 built, with later models called the Fiat 1100T, which remained in production until 1971. The Fiat 1100 D also found a long life in India, where Premier Automobiles continued to build the car until the end of 2000.

Like other manufacturers, after World War II Fiat continued producing and updating pre-war types. The first blank sheet design was the 1950 1400, the first with unibody Fiat, which took place of the 1935 1500. Fiat's intermediate offering between the 1500 and the diminutive 500 was the 1100 E, the last evolution of the 508C Nuova Balilla 1100 first launched in 1937. Its replacement it was codenamed Tipo 103; like the 1400 was to use unit construction, while the 1100 E's 1.1-litre engine was carried over unaltered.

Pietro Frua was best known for his automotive design work, but the firm that carried his name also produced concepts and coachbuilt bodies for a variety of European automakers. The genesis of this, the ur-Frua, was a distinctive and sporty roadster based upon the conservative Fiat 1100. Restored in 2016, the Fiat 1100 Frua Spider will be making an appearance at this weekend’s Hampton Court Concours of Elegance, taking place from September 1-3 at Hampton Court Palace East in Molesey, Surrey, England.

Born in Turin, Italy in 1913, Frua learned drafting and mechanical drawing at Scuola Allievi Fiat, Fiat’s school for apprentices. By the age of 17, Frua joined Stabilimenti Farina, where his talent quickly made him one of the firm’s top designers. The Second World War put his career on hold, and during this period Frua earned his living by running a body shop in Moncalieri, southeast of Turin, while penning designs for consumer goods instead of automobiles.

His ambitions were grander, and as the conflict in Europe came to a close, Frua purchased a derelict factory with the intention of launching his own design studio. By the end of 1945, Carrozzeria Frua had moved to larger quarters, and the firm’s first branded project was the barchetta-bodied Fiat seen here, delivered to Luigi Critterio on September 3, 1946.

Critterio didn’t keep the spider for long, selling it to Gino Bubbolini less than a month later. In 1947, the coachbuilt Fiat, which had been praised by publications Motor Italia and Auto Italiana, appeared at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, shown by Fiat dealer Alvise DePasquale, where it earned a Second Prize of Merit.

For the next three years, the roadster passed through a series of owners in the Turin area, but in 1950 sold to a Mr. Monti in Pavia, a town south of Milan. Frua’s design struck a nerve with Monti, who retained possession of the one-off sports car for the next 33 years.

The current owner acquired the Fiat, then painted red, in 2015, and subsequently entered the car into the 2016 Mille Miglia Storica. Following the race, the car was sent to Carrozzerie Gatti Luciano in Bergamo, Italy, for a comprehensive restoration and repaint in its original pewter color. The work was completed in time for the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where the Fiat appeared on the 70th anniversary of its first showing at the event.

Carrozzeria Frua and its namesake would go on to pen other memorable automotive designs, including coupes and spiders for the Maserati A6 chassis, coupes and cabriolets for German manufacturer Glas (later sold to BMW, which temporarily marketed the Glas 2600 as the BMW GT), and the Maserati Mistral, a design which later evolved into the AC 428 convertible and AC 428 coupe. Even Volvo’s stunning 1800 has a connection to Frua, as designer Pelle Petterson was an intern with the Italian firm when his sketch was penned.

Descriptions & pictures by wikipedia & hemmings & bonhams