Siata

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Fiat 508 Siata from 1933

The Società Italiana Applicazioni Trasformazioni Automobilistiche ( Siata for short ) was an Italian automobile manufacturer that was closely associated with Fiat and produced numerous special sporty versions of Fiat vehicles after the Second World War . The company is best known for the exclusive sports model 208 and the Siata Spring roadster, which was created in the late 1960s .

Company history

Start as a tuning company

Giorgio Ambrosini, who manufactured vehicles before the First World War and marketed them as Vittoria , founded Siata in Turin in 1926 . Siata dealt before the Second World War in the first place with the tuning of Fiat -Automobilen. The company was the oldest tuning company in Italy. Siata supplied specially developed cylinder heads with which the performance of the Fiat engines could be more than doubled.

Manufacture of complete vehicles

Siata 300 BC from 1951

After the Second World War, Siata developed and manufactured complete vehicles that were characterized by sporty driving performance and in many cases by unusual bodies. The company was very diverse in the early 1950s. In 1953 the Siatas model range comprised a total of 13 different types, ranging from the smallest to the expensive sports car.

The Siata 208

Siata 208 S Roadster from 1953

One of the independent models was the Siata 208 presented in 1953 , a sports car based on the drive technology of the Fiat Otto Vu . The 208 was available as a coupé. Pininfarina designed its body. There was also a 208 Roadster with the same mechanics, which took up the lines of the British sports car AC Ace , which was presented at the same time . Siata usually used a 2.0-liter eight-cylinder from Fiat to drive the 208; alternatively, Chrysler and Cadillac engines were installed in individual vehicles at the customer's request . In this version the vehicles were also referred to as Siata 400. It was also available with a striking Balbo body with pop-up headlights and a wide, chrome-plated grille. A total of 35 Siata 208s were made, a large number of which were sold in the USA. One of the first-time buyers of a 208 was actor Steve McQueen . The Siata 208 is one of the classics in demand today. For models in good condition, prices of over 500,000 euros were paid in 2011.

Special bodies for Fiat

Siata 1500 TS Coupé from 1963. The thin pillars of the vehicle are clearly visible.

Since the late 1950s, Siata has concentrated on the production of special bodies for large-scale production vehicles from Fiat, competing with companies such as Moretti and Coriasco. In the 1960s, the company supplied coupé bodies for the Fiat 600 , Fiat 1100 and Fiat 1500 . The bodies were contemporary and often had light-looking roof structures with thin vehicle pillars. Engine tuning was still possible. Siata was successful with this concept until the mid-1960s; In 1964, for example, the company produced a total of 2,214 vehicles with 138 employees.

Siata Spring

Siata Spring 850 Spider (1967-1970)

In 1967 the company changed the model policy. Instead of the contemporary coupé and roadster bodies, it offered the Siata Spring model, a small two-seater "fun mobile" with a retro look. The open car had style elements from the 1930s, but did not copy any specific model. It had curved fenders, a large chrome fake grille, and free-standing headlights. The rear engine platform of the Fiat 850 , whose engine was also adopted, served as the technical basis . The Spring was particularly successful in European export markets. In 1968 in Germany alone, more than 700 copies were sold in six months. The Spring was the first European automobile with a retro look to be produced in large numbers and was a conceptual model for vehicles such as the Vignale Gamine or the models by Panther Westwinds .

In 1970 production of the Spring ended and Siata ceased production of automobiles entirely. The Sardinia- based company Orsa tried in 1973 to revive the spring; Until 1976, however, only a few vehicles were completed there.