An intimate exploration of Cisitalia's profound impact on the automotive world, crafted by two of the brand’s most renowned historians. Shedding light on the enduring legacy and how Cisitalia's journey shaped Porsche's destiny. For the first time ever, the three most iconic Cisitalia 202 models – the Coupé Gran Sport, "C" Cabriolet, and Spyder Mille Miglia – are captured together in an exclusive shoot. Text by Mario Simoni, with the contribution of Nino Balestra
Photography by Jeroen Vink, Mario Simoni Archive
Video by Andrea Ruggeri
Part 1: THE CISITALIA MYSTERY
Three iconic car brands – Porsche, Abarth, and Alfa Romeo – might not exist today in the way we know them if it hadn’t been for the remarkable adventure of Cisitalia, a now largely forgotten company founded in Turin in 1946. Though the company lasted a mere three years, Cisitalia left an indelible mark on the car world, with the potential to change the fate of giants such as Fiat and Ferrari.
Picture yourself standing on a motorway bridge, and imagine that, as if by magic, every Porsche, Abarth and Alfa Romeo passing beneath you suddenly disappears into thin air because, in this alternate reality, they never existed at all. Wouldn’t that be incredible!
Yet, if 80 years ago, in the midst of World War II, a bold Turin entrepreneur named Piero Dusio had not decided to set up a new car company, Cisitalia, the history of these brands would have very different, or perhaps they might not have existed at all.
The stories, projects, people, and above all the twists of fate in that brief three-year period – 1946 to 1948 – truly changed the course of automotive history. Yet, what is truly astonishing is that almost no one remembers the brand anymore. Cisitalia’s ‘Rampant Ibex’ and the events that made it so significant have faded into obscurity.
However, two cars remain etched in memory, securing Cisitalia's place in automotive history: the 202 Coupé, designed by Pinin Farina and regarded as one of the most beautiful cars in the world, and the F1 360 Grand Prix, engineered by Porsche. Technologically speaking, the 360 Grand Prix was at least 20 years ahead of the single-seaters dominating the Grand Prix circuits at the tim.
So let’s unravel the "mystery" of Cisitalia. What made the 202 the most coveted sports car of the 1940s, how were the dreams of glory and fortune burned out in just three years, and why did the fate of these iconic automotive brands become inextricably linked to that of Cisitalia?
In 1944, Piero Dusio, a wealthy Turin industrialist, accomplished racing driver and, at the time, chairman of the Juventus football club, decided to set up a new car company to manufacture sportscars intended not only for racing but also for everyday use.
To bring this vision to life, Dusio enlisted one of the greatest automotive engineers in history, Dante Giacosa, the man who went on to become the father of the Fiat 500 and all Fiat's production until the 1970s. Thanks to his friendship with Gianni Agnelli, Fiat "loaned" Giacosa to Cisitalia, even as the tragedies of war loomed over Turin and much of Italy.
This collaboration led to the development of the first tubular chassis in car history, repurposing chromium-molybdenum tubular elements originally developed for Fiat fighter planes..
The first car built on this innovative chassis was the D46 single-seater, followed shortly after by a series of coupés and spiders bearing the project code 202.
At that time, in early 1946, the course of Fiat’s history and its entire future production could have been different. Piero Dusio offered Dante Giacosa the position of Cisitalia’s technical director, asking him to oversee the design of all upcoming models, starting with a new Formula 1 car.
Although Giacosa had not yet reached the pinnacle of prestige and influence he would later enjoy at Fiat, he turned Dusio’s tempting offer down, seeing it as fraught with uncertainties. Instead, he recommended a young engineer who had already made a name for himself in Fiat’s aeronautics division: Giovanni Savonuzzi. Unwittingly, Dusio had drawn the lucky straw. Savonuzzi, who would soon become Cisitalia’s technical director, was one of the leading aerodynamics experts at a time when this science had been applied little to the automotive industry. He was also one of the most talented designers of his era, and his brilliance extended beyond Cisitalia to include some of Ghia’s most celebrated creations until the mid-1950s.
Savonuzzi’s genius shaped the final development of the D46’s bodywork and the design of all Cisitalia tubular-chassis sports cars. His crowning achievements include the 202 Spider, which Tazio Nuvolari drove to near-victory in the 1947 Mille Miglia, and the 202 Aerodinamica Savonuzzi, which introduced groundbreaking innovations including the flat underbody and the streamlined bodywork with large rear fins.
However, the model that truly defined Cisitalia's legacy, indeed earning a place in New York's Museum of Modern Art, is the 202 Gran Sport, officially credited as a masterpiece by Pinin Farina, who crafted the first examples of the coupé. In fact, the Turin coachbuilder merely refined a few elements – especially the rear section – of the stunning coupé originally designed by Savonuzzi.
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It took over fifty years for the truth about the true author of that masterpiece to emerge. While Pinin Farina's signature was certainly more prestigious than that of the relatively unknown designer from Ferrara, Giovanni Savonuzzi’s name was actually "forgotten" because, in the autumn of 1947, just as the 202 Coupé Gran Sport was making its début, Savonuzzi left Cisitalia following a series of disagreements with Dusio. The main source of their conflict was the "mad" idea of building the most advanced and sophisticated single-seater ever, designed by Porsche, the same team that had produced the Auto Union cars that dominated the Grand Prix circuit in the 1930s.
The main source of their conflict was the "mad" idea of building the most advanced and sophisticated single-seater ever, designed by Porsche, the same team that had produced the Auto Union cars that dominated the Grand Prix circuit in the 1930s.
Dusio was introduced to the Porsche family, who had fled to Austria in the aftermath of the devastation of World War II, by Tazio Nuvolari, who had been approached in September 1946 by Carlo Abarth and Rudolf Hruschka to find a buyer for Porsche's new Formula 1 project.
Late 1946 was a pivotal moment that changed the fate of Cisitalia, Porsche, Abarth and even Alfa Romeo forever. Enthusiastic about the project, Dusio made a significant financial investment a few months later, purchasing the plans for the 360 Grand Prix and a series of other designs, including the 370 Sport coupé, a prototype that would shape the future of Porsche’s models for decades to come.
With this capital, the Porsche family was able to secure the release of Ferdinand Porsche, who had been imprisoned in France for collaborating with the Nazi regime, and to begin production of the first 356 – a car that might otherwise never have been built – in 1948.
Meanwhile, Carlo Abarth and Rudolf Hruschka, hired by Cisitalia to develop the 360 Grand Prix in Turin, rose to the top of the technical and sporting divisions of the company after Savonuzzi’s departure. They held key roles in the brand's many racing victories, first with the D46 and the 202, and later with the 204, in the late 1940s.
Cisitalia’s sporting and commercial successes were widely celebrated in the press of the time. The brand’s prestigious patrons and clients included Roberto Rossellini, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Henry Ford II. However, the biggest headlines in the automotive world focused on the development of the 360 Grand Prix, a technological marvel equipped with a supercharged 1.5-litre, 12-cylinder boxer engine delivering 400 hp, mounted centrally in the rear. It featured a five-speed sequential gearbox, manually selectable all-wheel drive and Porsche’s signature independent suspension. This engineering masterpiece was poised to leave the victorious Alfa Romeos from the 1950 and 1951 World Championships in the dust.
Cisitalia, a dominant force both on the racetrack and in the sports car market, seemed destined to become what Ferrari would later become, as both brands were taking their first steps during the same period. But fate had other plans…
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The 370 Grand Prix project, sold by Porsche, largely based on designs developed for Auto Union before the war, proved to be practically unworkable when it was attempted in 1947 in Turin.
The lack of skilled labour and the necessary equipment, logistical challenges in coordinating with Porsche designers stationed in Gmünd, Austria, and difficulties sourcing the expensive materials needed, as well as some design miscalculations – particularly regarding the engine and all-wheel drive – made the development of the 360 Grand Prix an endless ordeal, despite the fact that the car's strongest advocate and promoter was none other than Tazio Nuvolari himself.
All of Dusio and Cisitalia's resources were consumed by the ambitious Formula 1 project, while production of the 202 slowed significantly due to financial and organisational issues. Furthermore, the 202's rather modest four-cylinder engine, derived from the Fiat 1100 and capable of producing over 60 horsepower, lacked the allure and roar of Alfa Romeo's six-cylinder or Ferrari's twelve-cylinder engines.
By 1948, these factors pushed Cisitalia into a deep financial crisis. The company was forced to suspend the 360 Grand Prix project, with only one single-seater completed and a second in progress. Dusio filed bankruptcy proceedings for the company and moved the Grand Prix car, along with parts of the equipment, to Argentina, where he set up a new company, Autoar. It wasn’t until 1953 that the F1 car finally hit the track in Buenos Aires for a series of tests, which were soon halted due to emerging reliability issues.
Carlo Abarth & C was born from Cisitalia's financial ruin in 1949, acquiring some of its equipment, designs and inventory. A key addition to Abarth’s roster was the 204 Spider, which became the first of many models to bear the iconic Scorpion badge, a symbol that would soon become famous worldwide.
Cisitalia continued to produce sports cars until the mid-1960s, but the feverish and exhilarating pace of the first three years was never matched again.
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One individual who left a lasting mark on the Italian car industry at that time was Rudolf Hruschka. His skill, determination, firmness and typical German precision were decisive in saving Alfa Romeo in the early 1950s. After leaving Cisitalia, Hruschka was significantly involved in the industrialisation of the Alfa 1900, followed shortly by the Giulietta. Years later, he was fully credited for the development of the Alfasud, a car whose success was due to his vision in every aspect.
Part 2: CISITALIA THROUGH THE EYES OF MARIO SIMONI AND NINO BALESTRA
We are here with Nino Balestra, a leading expert on Cisitalia and a lifelong car enthusiast. Let's begin by asking: what sparked your love for Cisitalia, a passion that has lasted for over half a century?
Balestra: Right after the war – and unfortunately, I’m quite old now – there was a lot of excitement in our house. My father, uncle, cousins and older brother were all thrilled because the 1947 Mille Miglia, the first post-war race, was about to begin. The big news was that Nuvolari would be racing in a Cisitalia, an unknown brand at the time. The Mille Miglia route that year passed through Vicenza on the return leg, as the course had been reversed. So, we stood on the road in Vicenza, and if I remember well, the cars began to arrive around 3 pm. At one point, the crowd started cheering, and I could hear the roar getting closer, but I couldn’t understand why. A Topolino passed by, then perhaps an Aprilia, and I thought the cheers were for local drivers. But in fact, the crowd was shouting for him… Nuvolari was approaching. I saw this red blur pass by and had no idea what it was. Then my brother, who was equally excited, told me it was Nuvolari in a Cisitalia. That really struck me. Even the name "Cisitalia" felt like something ethereal, almost like a breeze, a word that just slips through your mind. And then, there was the allure of Nuvolari. In September, we went to see him race in the D46 single-seater at the Idroscalo circuit, and I think he finished second or third in his class. He was already in poor health, with bandages on his face, but to me, he was a hero. That was the moment when I fell in love with Cisitalia, and if someone had offered me three Ferraris or two Maseratis, I wouldn’t have taken them, because Cisitalia had won me over.
And that love led you to write several books about Cisitalia and meet the figures who shaped its incredible history.
Balestra: Yes, it did. There’s a bit of both fortune and misfortune in that. The misfortune is that I am old enough to have met these people, but they are no longer with us, which saddens me. But I was very lucky to get to know them: Carlo Dusio, Giovanni Savonuzzi, Corrado Millanta, Rudolf Hruschka, Piero Taruffi. I never met Nuvolari, of course, he had already passed away, but I did meet his widow, Carolina Nuvolari, and many other important people. One afternoon, Carlo Dusio called me and said, “I’ve heard my father is back in Italy from Argentina. He’ll be in Turin for dinner tonight and would love to meet you. Can you make it?” I jumped in the car and was in Turin in about four hours. We went to a charming restaurant in the hills called "Il Cumpilot," where the food was excellent. It was just me, Carlo and Piero Dusio, who was quite old, tired, and frail by then. He passed away about six months later.
Did they not want to recall the history of Cisitalia?
Balestra: No, quite the opposite. He thanked me deeply for reviving it and rekindling enthusiasm for the brand..
What has Cisitalia represented in automotive history, and despite its significant role, why do so few people remember the name today?