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CEMSA F11 - Italian pioneering work with long-term consequences

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Created on March 22, 2020

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

MLWatts CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia

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Sergio D’Afflitto CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia

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Archiv

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MLWatts CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia

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Sergio D’Afflitto CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia

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Archiv

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Cemsa F11 (1948) - elegant and above all very progressive limousine

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - as Berline/Limousine, drawn

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - as a convertible, on a factory drawing

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - unfinished vehicle

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - Chassis without engine seen from the front

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - A look under the hood of an early example

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - View of the front end, without bodywork

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - View of the boxer engine

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - View of the boxer engine

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - Engine from the side, view of the valve guide with rocker arms

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - the boxer engine in dismantled condition

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - the chassis without bodywork

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - Transparency drawing

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - at its premiere as a saloon at the 1947 Paris Motor Show

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - as a limousine at the 1947 Paris Motor Show

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - Chassis with engine at the 1947 Paris Motor Show

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CEMSA F11 (1947) - built-in engine, chassis without body at the 1947 Paris Motor Show

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CEMSA F11 (1948) - as a four-door sedan

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CEMSA F11 (1948) - stately limousine

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CEMSA F11 (1948) - this four-door sedan was sent to America (Tucker?)

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - View of the trunk and the neatly stowed spare wheel

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CEMSA F11 (1948) - as a convertible, at the 1948 Geneva Motor Show

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CEMSA F11 (1948) - as a closed convertible at the 1948 Geneva Motor Show

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CEMSA F11 (1948) - View of the interior at the 1948 Geneva Motor Show

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - Chassis from behind, at the Geneva Motor Show 1949, in the background the Ferrari 166 Barchetta Touring

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - Limousine in its final form

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - as a four-door sedan

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - photographed as a four-door sedan from diagonally behind

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - front view, note the modified radiator grille

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - Limousine with open doors

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - four-door sedan

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CEMSA F11 (1949) - four-door saloon in its near-production form at the 1949 Geneva Motor Show

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Lancia Flavia (1960) - characterized by the twin headlights and the radiator grille

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Alfa Romeo Alfasud (1972) - with longitudinally mounted boxer front engine

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Citroën GS (1971) - from one horse to 55 hp

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Citroën GS (1971) - Transparency drawing

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Cemsa-Caproni F11 (1949) - exhibited at the Museum of Industry and Labor in Saronno

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Cemsa-Caproni F11 (1949) - exhibited at the Museum of Industry and Labor in Saronno

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Cemsa-Caproni F11 (1949) - exhibited at the Museum of Industry and Labor in Saronno

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Summary

Today, hardly anyone remembers the CEMSA (Caproni) F11 from the late 1940s. But some famous cars such as the Lancia Flavia, the Alfa Romeo Alfasud or the Citroën GS benefited technically from the Italian mid-range car, which unfortunately never went into production. This report describes the history and technology of this innovative self-supporting car with a water-cooled boxer engine, front-wheel drive and independent suspension all round, and explains its significance for automotive history. The report is illustrated with many historical photos, some of which have never been published before.

This article contains the following chapters

Unique starting position
Designed with a wealth of experience
Water-cooled boxer engine
Independent suspension all round
Self-supporting construction
Attractive interior
Official presentation at the 1947 Paris Motor Show
Further development and improvements
Abrupt end, or not?
Only a few surviving CEMSA F11
What could have been
Further information

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In the first few years after the end of the Second World War, most car manufacturers had other problems to deal with than new designs. Production was slowly ramped up again with pre-war models, if this was possible at all. When a newly developed model was presented, the public showed great interest. If the new car also came from a company not previously active in the automotive sector, curiosity was even greater. When the Italian CEMSA F11 was presented in the fall of 1947, the world was almost at its feet, especially as it was an innovative new design that had nothing to fear from comparison.

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