1950 Lancia Aurelia/1950 FIAT 1400/1949 FIAT 1500 by Castagna

Tackitt · May 21, 2012, 08:08:16 AM

Terribly disappointed in our rookies. But this has been languishing long enough.
Experts, knock this one out.

For a point: Make, model and coachbuilder please.

fgsavoia · July 16, 2012, 03:58:59 PM

This horrible line could be a late '40 early - '50 Castagna's work

sixtee5cuda · July 16, 2012, 05:22:21 PM

I have it as a 1950 Lancia Aurelia by Castagna. Is there another photo of it out there?

als15 · July 16, 2012, 05:47:23 PM

It was built in 1949 on a Fiat 1500 E chassis. Definitely, not a great design.

Tackitt · July 16, 2012, 10:24:26 PM

A 1950 Lancia Aurelia by Castagna it is. You have your point.

als15 · July 17, 2012, 02:34:21 AM

Where have you got the info that it's an Aurelia?
I have seen original Castagna press-pictures with "Fiat 1500" as a caption on the back (and unfortunately only scanned the front

).

sixtee5cuda · July 17, 2012, 07:10:56 AM

I found two copies of the same picture online. One indicates it is a 1950 Lancia, the other indicates it is a 1949 Fiat.

Unless another online source is verified, I would look upon als15 as being a new source that verifies this as being a Fiat.

woodinsight · July 17, 2012, 07:22:42 AM

I have this car as a 1949 Fiat 1400 Berlina by Castagna and would tend to agree with Alessandro

als15 · July 17, 2012, 12:34:05 PM

Front view and close-up of the emblem. It's not very readable, but it looks much more Fiat than Lancia.

Tackitt · July 17, 2012, 08:13:00 PM

After reviewing and combing through the net, I believe now that this is a 1949 Fiat 1400 Berlina by Castagna. Woodinsight gets a point though I will not take SixteeScuda's point away as he found the same mistaken website I did.

sixtee5cuda · July 17, 2012, 10:05:58 PM

As there are only 3 pictures, I suspect this monster was destroyed before too much time had passed.

Carnut · July 18, 2012, 05:04:25 AM

I've moved this one to 'Solved' rather than 'Solved - 2012' so that is doesn't get lost and gets more viewings.
Hope you don't mind.

woodinsight · July 18, 2012, 05:10:28 AM

Quote from: Tackitt on July 17, 2012, 08:13:00 PM
After reviewing and combing through the net, I believe now that this is a 1949 Fiat 1400 Berlina by Castagna. Woodinsight gets a point though I will not take SixteeScuda's point away as he found the same mistaken website I did.

Thank you for the point

Otto Puzzell · July 18, 2012, 05:15:24 AM

Quote from: sixtee5cuda on July 17, 2012, 10:05:58 PM
As there are only 3 pictures, I suspect this monster was destroyed before too much time had passed.

I think it became this car:

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=19310.0

als15 · July 18, 2012, 08:33:25 AM

If I'm not wrong... I said it's a Fiat, not our friend Woodinsight... Sorry to say that, but the point should be mine...

woodinsight · July 18, 2012, 11:07:20 AM

Quote from: als15 on July 18, 2012, 08:33:25 AM
If I'm not wrong... I said it's a Fiat, not our friend Woodinsight... Sorry to say that, but the point should be mine...

I agree - I didn't really think I deserved the point as als15 had guessed the correct marque before I did.

Tackitt · July 20, 2012, 08:28:44 PM

It is done. Als, you have your point.
I originally based it on the fact that Woodinsight was the first to give the model as well as make as Als called it a 1500. But, since you were both in agreement...

als15 · July 21, 2012, 04:33:41 AM

Thanks for the point.

By the way, this cannot be a 1949 Fiat 1400 just because the 1400 was introduced in 1950.
Because the last photo is taken from a book written by me... I explain the background.
I found those three pictures in a private archive and the caption on the back says: "Berlina a quattro porte su Fiat 1500 o Fiat 1400". It was common to present a model offering it on different bases.
However, I think it has been a one-off an most likely on the 1500 E, because it doesn't make any sense to build a saloon like that on a much more modern base as the 1400, unless a customers asks and pays

.
Probably I've been misleading putting all the 3 pictures in the book about the Fiat 1400, but the aim was to show them because I found them only after having published the book about the 1500, where I was only able to put a poor quality copy of the side view. It would have been better to underline that probably the 1400 version was only an idea... But I was young when I wrote that book and not as rigorous as a good historian should have been.

At the end of the day, I think that the correct title for the topic should be 1949 Fiat 1500 by Castagna.

woodinsight · July 21, 2012, 05:38:20 AM

Quote from: als15 on July 21, 2012, 04:33:41 AM
Thanks for the point.

By the way, this cannot be a 1949 Fiat 1400 just because the 1400 was introduced in 1950.
Because the last photo is taken from a book written by me... I explain the background.
I found those three pictures in a private archive and the caption on the back says: "Berlina a quattro porte su Fiat 1500 o Fiat 1400". It was common to present a model offering it on different bases.
However, I think it has been a one-off an most likely on the 1500 E, because it doesn't make any sense to build a saloon like that on a much more modern base as the 1400, unless a customers asks and pays .
Probably I've been misleading putting all the 3 pictures in the book about the Fiat 1400, but the aim was to show them because I found them only after having published the book about the 1500, where I was only able to put a poor quality copy of the side view. It would have been better to underline that probably the 1400 version was only an idea... But I was young when I wrote that book and not as rigorous as a good historian should have been.

At the end of the day, I think that the correct title for the topic should be 1949 Fiat 1500 by Castagna.

Great to see the true facts emerging on this unusual car.

News:

1950 Lancia Aurelia/1950 FIAT 1400/1949 FIAT 1500 by Castagna