Fiat 2800: Italy's Answer to Mercedes

That's a glamorous (though not well painted) Italian lake district scene in the Fiat publicity image shown above.  And the car?

According to this Italian language Wikipedia article, Benito Mussolini proposed to Fiat that they create a model that would compete in terms of prestige with Mercedes-Benz.

And Fiat tried, with its 2800.  Nearly 630 were built over 1938-1944, about a third being military adaptations of the chassis.  Fiat 2800s were used by Mussolini, the Pope and some affluent Italians.

The English language Wikipedia entry is here.

Here is a 2800 four-door sedan.  The short, downward curved hood runs against the 1930s expectation that prestige automobiles have long, prominent hoods.  It does look a bit racy, which is what one might expect for Italy.  Aside from that, the front ensemble is in line with 1936 American styling practice, but is a little dated for 1938.

This side view shows that the sedan had an integral trunk and not quite something obviously tacked on.  The passenger compartment styling above the belt line is also obsolescent compared to some new 1938 General Motors cars, and obsolete in relation to most 1940-41 American car designs.

Some cabriolet 2800s were built.  Stabilimenti Farina made a few four-door versions, and might have built the two-door shown here.  (I can't determine who actually did the work.  It might even have been done by Fiat.)

This nice 1939 Fiat 2800 coupe was by Touring.

Cute: Giugiaro's Fiat 850 Spider

The Fiat 850  line (produced 1964-73) was comprised of its basic sedan, a sporty coupe and a convertible called the Spider ("Speeder").  The latter's body was a Bertone design and product, the designer being the now-famed Giorgetto Giugiaro who worked at Bertone early in his career.

The 850 Spider was small and underpowered, an impractical car for long-distance touring due to lack of luggage space.  On the other hand, it was nicely styled.  Being a tiny car, Giugiaro chose, consciously or otherwise, to have it look cute rather than pretentious.  He also was able to avoid being forced to decorate a cheap concept such as was the case of the Austin-Healey Sprite I wrote about here.

Gallery

To set the scene, here is a 1967 850 Spider's sales photo.

I don't know the source of this phantom illustration, though it looks like it was scanned from a book or magazine.  The Spider had plenty of overhang at the front, something common on front-wheel drive cars.  But the Spider's motor was in the rear and the frontal space was occupied by the spare tire and a small trunk.  This overhang, not present on other 850s, allowed Giugiaro to craft a longer, more graceful shape.

The Spider's graceful lines are apparent in this publicity photo.  An important detail is the headlight design which enhanced the cute appearance of the car.  The bumpers are quite flimsy by today's standards, but necessary for the design theme.  Note the subtle character fold along the side.

Rear view of a Spider for sale.  There are two lids at the rear, the forward one for the top and the other for engine access.  This shows how the character fold ties into the tail light ensemble.  The wire wheels on the slightly too-small wheels are probably not stock.

Part-way into the Spider's production run the headlight design was altered, probably due to government regulation in the USA and perhaps elsewhere.  This detail change largely destroyed the "cuteness" of Giugiaro's design.

Fiat Punto: First Generation

The first-generation Fiat Punto (1994-1999 model years) was voted European Car of the Year for 1995, according to this Wikipedia entry.  It also mentions that styling was by the Italian master, Giugiaro.

That vintage Punto holds a special place in my memory.  Not for its styling.  And not for any other characteristics it might have had.  As a matter of fact, I have no real memory of the latter.  That's because a 1996 Punto was the first car I ever drove in England and my still-strong memories are of my disorientation and struggle to deal with driving on the"wrong side" of the road.  (Tip: before setting out, fix in you mind the location of the inside rear-view mirror -- that done, much of the rest falls into place.)

As for the Punto's design, it was tall and space-efficient.  But the exterior was a bit soft and nondescript.  Presumably Giugiaro was breaking away from his hard-edge, crisply-formed, large-windowed "three-box" mode he used successfully for Volkswagen and other clients.  The Punto was not one of his better results.

Gallery

A four-door Punto similar to the one I rented, though this seems to be a 1999 version.

Two views of the two-door Punto.  Rather soft and bland, though the side and bumper rub-strips helpfully tighten things up a little.  The blending of the rear impact panel and the rear wheel opening is a bit awkward, but the package Giugiaro was given left little room for creativity here.  I might have opted for more squared-off openings front and rear.