als_049

als15 · December 29, 2010, 03:49:46 PM

This is a frame form the 1959 Italian movie "Un maledetto imbroglio". A point of you tell me the name of the coachbuilder (that I actualli don't know).

araknid · January 04, 2011, 12:55:01 PM

Vignale

als15 · January 04, 2011, 01:05:10 PM

I don't think so, looking to the badge on the front quarter-panel. However, are you able to prove it?
As you see, this is a "I don't know" puzzle, where the author doesn't know the correct answer and it should be somehow demonstrated.

araknid · January 04, 2011, 01:24:31 PM

Actually, now that I look at it more carefully, I can see that it is not Vignale.

araknid · January 04, 2011, 01:28:15 PM

I thought maybe Allemano, but that's not right either. It's obviously a Fiat 1100 strectched for taxi duty. But, i can't find who did it.

araknid · January 04, 2011, 01:42:39 PM

Not Moretti, either. But here's a picture of another one in the 1960 movie Plein Soleil

als15 · January 04, 2011, 04:04:25 PM

As far as I know this is not made by any of the "famous" coachbuilders: I never seen a similare badge before.

The car you posted is not the same. Is similar, but if you look to the rear quarter panel you see that the wheelbase is not extended so much. I would say that this one is a 1100 Taxi Monviso made by Ghia, that's a sort of estate body, with a short tail.

araknid · January 04, 2011, 04:28:45 PM

I've been doign a lot of research on this car. Nobody seems to know for sure. The thinking is Frua, Michelotti, Vignale or Lombardi. The thought is that they were probably disigned by one of the coach-builders, but produced at the Fiat factory.

They were a special extended 1100s used as taxis between 1954 and the early 60's. Later were used the standard bodies because taxi owners preferred Fiats 1500L , with the 1800 bodies...

It is not a Familiare, but perhaps Familiare Tassi. They were not very popular anyway and for some reason disappeared quite early. There are a lot of references on IMCDb.org.

Here's another image

als15 · January 04, 2011, 04:50:18 PM

No, I don't agree with you. I would exclude that Fiat ever made such stange bodies during the Fifties. At that time the policy was to outsurce every "non-standard" coachbuilding and also version much more diffused were actually built out of Fiat, sometimes with the badge of the coachbuilder and sometimes not.
A few examples: 2100 and 2300 Berlina Speciale were made by Ellena; 1800, 2100 and 2300 Familiare were made by Savio; 1400 Cabriolet was made by Colli; 1300 and 1500 Familiare were made by OSI.
I can't imagine a 1100 Taxi made in Mirafiori with such a body!

Let's discuss the other guesses.
Michelotti at that time was ony a designer. It had a little workshop for prototyping about ten years later, but never made serial production (except the "Shelette" beach-car). On the other hand, probably he was the actual designer of these cars, at least because it was the designer of a half of that period's Italian cars...
Frua at that time had a little workshop, but nothing similar is featured in the very comprehensive research of Dr. Dierkes (see his website), that's based on Pietro Frua's archive.
Lombardi and Vignale could theoretically be. I would say the first one.
Here are two drawings, one from the Michelotti's archive and another from a period advertising: they look like the taxi posted by you.

But the mistery on my one is still there...

barrett · January 04, 2011, 06:24:26 PM

I never realised so many coachbuilders were involved in building these 1100-based taxis. The one posted from Plein Soleil I always thought was built by Frua, and Vignale also made a slightly different version. They had small boots rather than hatches like the standard Familiare. I assume these were ordered specifically by the taxi companies and had no involvement with Fiat, so I suppose the puzzle car may have been a 'special order' by a taxi firm who required an extra-long wheelbase car and asked one of it's existing coachbuilders to produce one (or more) for them.

als15 · January 10, 2011, 07:55:59 AM

Perhaps an Expert knows...

Bugace · January 10, 2011, 04:37:50 PM

Might the hoodornament be a clue? Non of the others have a ornament.

Looks like the hoodornament just tell it is a 1100TV.

I'm unsure about different taxi companies in Rome, but might some Hotells have theire own taxis as well? in movies there are often a bit more exclusive hotells that are used, and maybe....................

??

als15 · January 10, 2011, 05:48:18 PM

No, I don't think the hood ornament is a clue, just a typical period aftermarket item.
The car is a regular sedan with stretched body: the rear window is small while the TV should have a bigger one. On the other hand, the taillights and rear fins looks like a real TV, but again is a typical period modification.

Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the coachbuilder and I'm even not sure if the license plate is real or a movie fake.

Bugace · January 10, 2011, 06:12:42 PM

The plate leads towards 56-57.

But what about the sign/plate beside the licenseplate. Is that taxi company info?

I'll googel some more on this, but since I'm been away from this forum for a long time, I'll just have a look at some other puzzels first.

mymokke · January 10, 2011, 09:53:00 PM

Bodied probably by FISSORE? Fissore produced several developments of such a body under the name "Giardinetta"

als15 · January 11, 2011, 02:53:10 AM

Quote from: Bugace on January 10, 2011, 06:12:42 PM
But what about the sign/plate beside the licenseplate. Is that taxi company info?

It could be, but unfortunately the picture is small...

Quote from: mymokke on January 10, 2011, 09:53:00 PM
Bodied probably by FISSORE? Fissore produced several developments of such a body under the name "Giardinetta"

I don't think so: the badge on the front fender (that IMO is the only clue) doesn't look like Fissore.
And the "Giardinetta" was a station-wagon body.

However, you are welcome if you find any proof that this taxi is related to Fissore.

hugo90 · January 13, 2011, 06:24:45 PM

The puzzle car has a very long wheelbase, with space between the door and rear wheel that the other cars don't display. That should be the best clue.

als15 · January 18, 2011, 07:51:06 AM

We need Professional contribution...

Iluvatar · December 08, 2011, 01:03:33 PM

...the badge is different...but when I look at that car I think Francis Lombardi...
MPC

als15 · December 08, 2011, 02:54:54 PM

Yes, but I've never seen any reference about an extended 1100 made by him.

Iluvatar · December 10, 2011, 12:11:40 PM

I think Francis Lombardi cause it's the only coachbuilder I know who built similar extended cars (Fiat 1400) in that period.
I don't think building a longer w/b chassis was something easy, and surely F.L. had the background to do it...
MPC

PS - als15 hai un PM su Coachbuild.com

als15 · December 10, 2011, 12:40:39 PM

Actually, he is the best known, but not the only one. I also know the Carrozzeria Alessandrina and the most famous Giovanni Pisano, that made the stretched taxis for Capri.
However, this 1100 still stay an unsolved mistery...

als15 · May 24, 2012, 08:39:05 AM

Black hole?

thorax · June 04, 2012, 08:55:38 AM

Quote from: als15 on December 10, 2011, 12:40:39 PM
Actually, he is the best known, but not the only one. I also know the Carrozzeria Alessandrina and the most famous Giovanni Pisano, that made the stretched taxis for Capri.
However, this 1100 still stay an unsolved mistery...

do you have photos about those taxis?

als15 · June 04, 2012, 09:10:11 AM

No period ones, unfortunately.
I know a 1400 by Carrozzeria Alessandrina, quite usual presence in car meetings here in Turin, while Pisano was featured on some old AutoCapital issue (in the late Eighty, if I'm not wrong). I've it somewhere, but unfortunately unsorted...

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