Originality or what is more important?
09/09/2015
On September 7, 2015, RM/Sotheby's auctioneda Fiat 1100 S MM Special from 1948 in London . £ 137,200 (Euro 187,964, CHF 204,428) was paid for it, not a bad price for a four-cylinder post-war Fiat with around 51 hp.
However, there was a good reason for the high price. The chassis on offer is said to have taken part in the Mille Miglia at the time. At the time, however, it was still fitted with a saloon body similar to this one:
At some point in the fifties, the Colli or Stanguellini company is said to have built a Barchetta from it, although it is not known for certain, and the saloon body was probably scrapped in the process. A few years ago, the car was extensively restored and some of the sheet metal had to be replaced.
So here is a car with Mille Miglia history, but not actually a racing car. A fanatic of originality would actually have to insist on finding the original Berlina body again or rebuilding it, but of course the Colli/Stanguellini Barchetta body also has its justification and certainly its appeal.
But who knows? Perhaps one day a fan will separate the original chassis from the Barchetta body again and weld together hardly existing limousine panels on the basis of photos to restore the car to its original form. Whether this would make it worth more would be an interesting philosophical question ...
