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1933 Siata 508 Sport

Chassis no. 508037255
Engine no. 108038589
Coachbuilder Carrozzeria Siata
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One of the few Coppa d'Oro remained, with custom particular nose, aerodynamic appendages and with an original S.I.A.T.A. head. It belonged to Claudio Maglioli.

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Introduced in 1932, the 508 Balilla became immediately the car which motorized the Italians, thanks to its low purchase cost and easy maintenance of its 4-cylinder 995 cc. engine. The 508 S Balilla Sport competition version was inspired by an original design by Carrozzeria Ghia. The first cars were built based on the Fiat 508 Spyder, suitably modified as "tipo corsa" (type race) and still show the chassis numbers without the letter S. In 1933 Fiat introduced the sporting version 508 S Balilla Sport, characterized by a lighter, very nice and pleasant body, which soon became one of the cars to dream for the younger generation. FIAT purchased the rights by Ghia, manufacturing two versions: the standard version “Coppa d’Oro” had fully enclosed fenders while the “Mille Miglia” used smaller cycle fenders and a lighter chassis. The engine was also uprated to 43 bhp over the version standard 36 bhp. The first model won the Coppa d’Oro del Littorio, which earned it the nickname “Coppa d’Oro”, the second model won the 1933 Mille Miglia in the up to 1100 cc Utility Class. Clothed in stylish open two-seater bodywork with distinctive finned tail, the early "Spider Sport" models came with the same crash gearbox as the other cars, but the engine was fed by a special carburetor, which with its raised compression ratio of 7:1 gave rise to a maximum output listed as 30 hp (22 kW) at 4,000 rpm. Introduced in 1934, the 508CS second series improved on this successful formula, adopting a four-speed synchromesh gearbox and an overhead-valve engine producing 46bhp. The final drive ratio was also altered, and top speed went up to 110 km/h (69 mph). Siata produced at the time accessories and uprated parts, making it probably one of the earliest car tuners.

This Coppa d'Oro, chassis No. 508*037255 is different from the others for a custom aerodynamic nose with a rounded and beveled grille, aerodynamic appendages at the bottom in the form of aileron which include the rear fairing of the two headlights. Mechanically, it have a custom head produced by SIATA, a company that at the time built accessories and uprated parts for cars, making the Coppa d’Oro probably one of the earliest car tuned. Only three examples are known, such as the one present here. This car is believed to have had a sporting past, but there is only evidence of two "late" events: the 1st Nastro Azzurro del Tigullio, organized by the Registro Fiat Italiano in Rapallo on March 31, 1963, and the Rievocazione Storica della Mille Miglia, held in April 1970. To notice that this car belonged to the famous Lancia’s test driver Claudio Maglioli, creator of the “Lancia Fulvia F&M Special Barchetta”, a prototype racing car, and co-worker for the creation of the mythical Stratos.