1948 Cisitalia 202 Cabriolet

Cisitalias are one of those odd exceptions to the “top goes down, price goes up” rule, and in this case the coupe is actually the preferred model

A talented “gentleman driver” and owner of the sports equipment concern Consorzio Industriale Sportiva Italia—or Cisitalia, as it was known—Piero Dusio recognized that post-war Italy would have a thirst for motor racing. He conceived of a one-make series to quench the pent-up demand of both drivers and spectators, based around the ubiquitous Fiat 1100 engine. The single-seat Cisitalia D-46 was arguably the first space-frame racing car. It carried Fiat suspension components and was powered by a reworked version of the 1100 that made 60 horsepower. But Dusio saw that a sports racing car would present an even greater opportunity, so he created a two-seater from the same basic design. This was the 202, prepared for the 1947 Mille Miglia and driven to a second place finish by Tazio Nuvolari. A variety of bodies were created for the 202 by several local coachbuilders including Colli, Vignale, Pinin Farina and Stabilimenti Farina. Most of...