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The incredible lifeof an extraordinary man,a skilled racing driverand a courageous entrepreneur,who lost his “revolution”but turned his dream,Cisitalia, into a legend. Words: Mario Simoni Photos Mario Simoni Archive Eighty years ago, two men were about to change the history of the automobile. The first, destined to become one of the most famous figures in the world, was in those immediate post-war months building in Maranello the first car to bear his own name: Ferrari. The other, Piero Dusio—equally talented, courageous and visionary, himself an accomplished driver, a successful entrepreneur, a manufacturer, team owner and president of Juventus in the 1940s—has instead been largely forgotten by history. Today he is known only to classic-car enthusiasts, and in particular to admirers of one marque, Cisitalia, and one model, the 202, conceived by two great designers just months after the end of the Second World War. Yet although his story has faded from public memory, Piero Dusio genuinely changed the automotive world. Without his desire to dream and to build, Abarth would never have existed, and the histories of Porsche, Pininfarina, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and celebrated coachbuilders such as Ghia and Vignale would have been very different. In the space of just three years, thanks to his ideas and boundless enthusiasm, Piero Dusio succeeded in bringing together at Cisitalia figures who were—or would become—the greatest designers in the world: Dante Giacosa, father of the Topolino and the Cinquecento; Giovanni Savonuzzi, creator of the most aerodynamically advanced cars of his time; Ferdinand Porsche and the entire technical team that gave birth to Porsche; Rudolf Hruska, father of the Alfasud and of many Alfa Romeo models; Carlo Abarth, founder of the House of the Scorpion; and, among many others, Piero Taruffi, Pinin Farina and Aldo Brovarone. With such talent at his disposal, it would seem that any goal was within reach—and yet… It is worth reliving the almost novel-like story of this man who started from nothing. In the 1920s he played for the Juventus first team (alongside Boniperti he remains the only individual to have been both a player and president of the club), then in the 1930s became Italy’s leading seller and producer of oilcloth, to the point of being described as the richest man in Turin after the Agnellis, of course. So much so that, passing through Piazza San Carlo—the city’s “drawing room”—people would say, with a mix of envy and admiration: “You see, this half belongs to Agnelli, and that half to Dusio.” A fine footballer, he might have enjoyed a great sporting future had a knee injury not ended his career at just 24. He was also an outstanding racing driver, crowned Italian amateur speed champion in 1934, going on to compete in Grands Prix and finishing third overall in the 1938 Mille Miglia. During the war years, Piero Dusio was therefore one of the most influential and respected men in Turin. Despite the countless hardships brought about by the conflict, he certainly did not stand idle. He “never bowed his head” and on several occasions helped the partisans, while at the same time maintaining relations—linked to military supplies—with the Italian authorities and the Germans. Thanks precisely to these contacts, moving heaven and earth, it is said that he accomplished one of the most difficult feats of his life: freeing his son Carlo from the clutches of the Gestapo, after he had already been loaded onto a “one-way” train bound for Germany. This episode alone is enough to reveal his character: his tenacity, his refusal ever to give up, and his courage in confronting any obstacle. These very qualities, far from common, were what lifted Cisitalia to such heights—and with equal speed sent it plunging down again. In 1945, at the end of the war, Piero Dusio was one of the few prominent figures in Turin with the credentials, the resources and the courage to become president of Juventus, a club whose leadership he had already joined during the conflict, when the team had taken to the field under the name Juventus–Cisitalia. That very name and marque would, less than two years later, become famous throughout Italy—not in football, but in the automotive arena—thanks to the success of the cars built in the Turin factory that had sprung from nothing in those same months. While most Italians in the grim years of war were simply trying to survive, in the autumn of 1944 Piero Dusio decided to hire the finest Italian engineer of the period, Dante Giacosa, to design a small single-seater racing car, followed immediately by a new sports car. As bombs destroyed Fiat’s factories, Giacosa, in the rooms of Dusio’s Turin villa, was designing a revolutionary single-seater, the D46: the first car in the world to feature a tubular chassis, a technical concept borrowed from aircraft construction that would dominate motor racing for the next twenty years. This car later became famous for one of the most iconic photographs in racing history: Nuvolari captured throwing the steering wheel to the mechanics and continuing the race regardless. The occasion was the D46’s debut, the Coppa Brezzi on the Valentino circuit, won by Piero Dusio himself in “his” single-seater, ahead of drivers of the calibre of Taruffi, Cortese and Chiron. The true jewel of Dusio’s career as a constructor, however, was the 202: a two-seater, also featuring a tubular chassis, which made the Cisitalia name famous worldwide. It was the unforgettable protagonist, once again with Nuvolari, of the 1947 Mille Miglia, where it came tantalisingly close to victory despite the clearly inferior power—just over 60 bhp—from its 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine compared with the far more powerful Maseratis, Alfa Romeos and Ferraris. Yet those months of 1947 were a whirlwind of extraordinary events, all centred on Piero Dusio. While his automotive industry was being created from nothing, employing hundreds of workers, engineer Savonuzzi was designing the beautiful 202 coupé, styled and built by Pinin Farina. Chosen for MoMA’s landmark 1951 ‘Eight Automobiles’ exhibition and celebrated as the supreme expression of automotive design, it soon became the preferred choice of figures such as Roberto Rossellini, Carlo Ponti, Henry Ford II and Prince Rainier of Monaco. But this was still not enough for the volcanic patron of Cisitalia. In those very months he was offered the chance to acquire Alfa Romeo, then in serious difficulty after the damage inflicted by the war. He turned down this tempting proposal, also because his “big coup” was already taking shape: the purchase of a series of highly advanced projects from Porsche, at that time little more than a design studio, whose head, Ferdinand Porsche—the “father” of the Beetle—was still imprisoned in France on charges of collaboration with the Nazi regime. For a sum equivalent to several million euros today, in 1947 Dusio acquired the project for the most sophisticated and revolutionary Grand Prix car ever conceived: the Type 360, with four-wheel drive and a supercharged 400 bhp flat-12 engine. The same package also included the designs for the Type 370 coupé, with rear-mounted six- or eight-cylinder engines, which anticipated the concept of future Porsche sports cars, as well as a tractor—later produced by the Stuttgart firm—and the famous synchromesh gearbox. What seemed a brilliant deal for Piero Dusio in reality marked his downfall and, at the same time, the birth of Porsche, which thanks to those resources was able to take its first steps as an automotive manufacturer. To develop these projects, and in particular the 360 Grand Prix, two technicians who would leave an indelible mark on automotive history arrived in Turin: Carlo Abarth, who, after inheriting much Cisitalia material—including exhaust manifolds and the famous silencers—founded his own car company; and engineer Hruska, who would later become one of Alfa Romeo’s leading designers and above all the “father” of the Alfasud. While in 1947 and 1948 Cisitalias were defeating Ferraris on the track and the 202 was conquering the Italian sports-car market and preparing to enter the United States, work began in Turin on the 360 Grand Prix, which day by day absorbed ever greater portions of Cisitalia’s finite resources. The project, conceived before the outbreak of the Second World War for Auto Union, would have been difficult to realise even for a major automotive manufacturer with dozens of experienced engineers, and was in reality almost impossible to complete in Turin at that time. Thus the debut of the 360 Grand Prix, planned for 1948 and then announced the following year with an exceptional driver such as Tazio Nuvolari, never actually took place. If in 1947 Piero Dusio appeared to be the undisputed star of the Italian automotive industry, with a brilliance that seemed set to eclipse Ferrari’s, less than two years later Cisitalia was on the brink of bankruptcy. The reasons lay in the production problems and costs of the 202, the endless resources swallowed by the Grand Prix programme, the suspension of the Type 370 coupé project, and something “mysterious” that occurred in those months in Turin. It is said that Dusio attempted a “raid” on Fiat, immediately blocked by chief executive Vittorio Valletta, who cut off supplies and financially isolated Cisitalia. Dusio’s final gamble was an agreement with Argentine president Perón to transfer Cisitalia production to South America. Thus, in 1950, Argentina’s first automotive industry was born: Autoar. The 360 Grand Prix was shipped to Buenos Aires, where, years later, it managed to cover only a few dozen kilometres. In Argentina ended both his career as an entrepreneur and, in 1975, the life of Piero Dusio—a man who feared nothing, as demonstrated by the famous remark he once made to his technical director Giovanni Savonuzzi: “Engineer, I may ruin myself, but I will build the Grand Prix!” And indeed… This was the swashbuckling life of Piero Dusio as an entrepreneur. As a man, he was no less remarkable: father of seven children, with two families—one in Turin and, in his later years, one in Argentina. “Always on the move and ready to face new challenges, an incredibly dynamic and charismatic personality,” recalls his daughter Carolina. “My father was a practical idealist; he knew how to turn dreams into reality. He was a kind of alchemist, able to transform raw materials into gold. Giving up was never in his nature. He was an entrepreneur fascinated by every challenge, but also a man of exceptional charisma, with a great sense of humour and an extraordinary musical talent.” In the life of Piero Dusio and in the history of Cisitalia, nothing was ever banal, ordinary or predictable—and even his decline, or one might say his shipwreck, was dramatic. His “dream” truly deserved to be told. Born in Imola in 1954, Mario Simoni has been immersed in the world of cars and racing since childhood. Growing up close to racing circuits, Simoni nurtured a deep passion for engines, which led him to a brief career as a driver in the Renault 5 Alpine Cup. However, he soon decided to leave the racetrack to pursue "real" professions, without ever straying far from his love for automobiles. Determined to combine his passion with journalism, Simoni began by publishing articles for a minor magazine. The turning point in his career came when he had the opportunity to collaborate with Autosprint, Italy's most prestigious motorsport weekly. In 1985, Simoni became part of the editorial team that launched the magazine Auto, a monthly reference for enthusiasts, where he became head of the service. In parallel, he continued writing for Autosprint, AM magazine, and contributed to the TV show Tg2 Motori on RAI. In 2001, Simoni encountered the legendary Cisitalia, a meeting that marked a turning point in his career. Fascinated by the numerous aspects of this historic car manufacturer, he dedicated himself to uncovering the brand’s still-hidden secrets, culminating in the publication of his book "Un sogno chiamato Cisitalia", an important work that sheds new light on the history of one of Italy’s most iconic car manufacturers.

On the eve of its 60th anniversary, Lamborghini engineer Luigi Marmiroli retraces the technical, human and cultural forces that gave birth to the Miura and forever changed the meaning of performance cars. Words Luigi Marmiroli Photography Jeroen Vink for SpeedHolics, Lamborghini Archive, holders untraced Illustrations Luigi Marmiroli Archive The Lamborghini Miura represents one of the most beautiful and decisive chapters in the history of sports motoring. As its 60th anniversary approaches in 2026, I feel compelled, as an engineer who lived through that era, to pay tribute to a car that did not merely mark a milestone but changed the very nature of the automobile. I will do so in an unusual way, by placing the birth of the Miura within the “primordial broth” of the early 1960s, a period shaped above all by the Modenese sports-car industry. It was an environment populated by manufacturers, designers and technicians in constant motion, generating what I like to call, half jokingly, a true “ballet of engineers”. Many of these figures moved from one company to another, carrying with them experience, intuition and technical knowledge, creating a shared network of ideas that proved fundamental to the birth of the modern supercar. The first conclusion that clearly emerges from this analysis is that 1963 was the pivotal year. It was the moment when all the conditions for the supercar converged. Ferrari was enjoying an extremely positive phase, continuing the legendary 250 family, one of the most admired and successful sports-car series of all time. On the racing side, Ferrari dominated both sports prototypes and Formula One. Henry Ford II, convinced that motorsport was the most powerful advertising tool, watched his American cars repeatedly defeated on international circuits by what he regarded as a small manufacturer from Maranello. When he failed to beat Ferrari on track, he decided to buy the company outright and turn it into Ford’s racing division. He was encouraged by his right-hand man, the Italian-American Lee Iacocca, who would later acquire Lamborghini Automobili for Chrysler some twenty-five years later. The plan collapsed when Enzo Ferrari realised that the deal would strip him of sporting autonomy. He rejected the generous offer without hesitation. That decision soon led to new shareholders and, just as importantly, to the departure of eight technicians and managers who could no longer tolerate internal interference. Thus began the “ballet of engineers”. Among those leaving Ferrari were Giotto Bizzarrini and Carlo Chiti, who founded ATS with the explicit aim of making Enzo Ferrari regret their departure by challenging him first in Formula One and later in the supercar arena. Bizzarrini would soon reappear as an external consultant, designing Lamborghini’s first and famous V12 engine. Replacing him at Ferrari was a young Gianpaolo Dallara, destined to become Lamborghini’s technical director. From the left: Giotto Bizzarrini, Ferruccio Lamborghini, Gianpaolo Dallara. In the same period, Ferruccio Lamborghini also clashed with Enzo Ferrari and would soon demonstrate his capabilities with the 350 GTV and, above all, with the Miura. A curious footnote links ATS to Lamborghini even further, as the ATS road car was styled by Franco Scaglione, who had been responsible for the design of Lamborghini’s very first prototype. Giotto Bizzarrini Around them, the Modenese scene was extraordinarily fertile. Iso Rivolta marketed a luxurious coupé designed by Giugiaro, with a chassis by Giulio Alfieri and American Chevrolet power, unveiling the Iso Grifo in Turin in 1963 under the technical guidance of Bizzarrini. Alejandro De Tomaso Maserati presented the first Quattroporte, a high-performance luxury saloon that inaugurated a lineage still alive today. Alejandro de Tomaso, newly arrived in Modena, presented his first road car at the 1963 Turin Motor Show, the Vallelunga, a pioneering central-engined design with a structural engine, aluminium backbone chassis and fibreglass body, closely aligned with contemporary racing practice. Stanguellini continued its Formula Junior production, a category created to introduce young drivers to competition, and in 1963 these cars returned to the “all-rear” layout, with rear engine and rear-wheel drive, confirming how rapidly technical paradigms were shifting. Ferruccio Lamborghini Against this backdrop appear the fathers of the Miura, beginning with Ferruccio Lamborghini, who entered the scene forcefully in 1963. Of rural origin, with limited formal education but exceptional mechanical instinct, he had refined his skills during the war while stationed in Rhodes as head of a military repair workshop. After the conflict, he travelled across Italy recovering abandoned military vehicles and transforming them into agricultural machines. He then built a successful industrial empire in tractors, hydraulics and burners, contributing directly to the economic boom of Emilia-Romagna. A lover of fine living and beautiful cars, after owning a Morgan and a Jaguar he purchased a Ferrari 250. According to his biographers, he complained to Enzo Ferrari about the car’s problems and was dismissed with the suggestion that he should stick to tractors. That slight fuelled his determination to build cars more beautiful and more capable than those of the “Lord of Maranello”, as he liked to call him. In May 1963, against the advice of his managers, Ferruccio founded Automobili Lamborghini. In the fields of Sant’Agata Bolognese he built a factory in record time and developed the refined 350 GTV. Most importantly, he hired two engineers who would prove decisive for the Miura: Gianpaolo Dallara and, shortly afterwards, Paolo Stanzani. Ironically, Ferruccio would remain owner of his car company for little more than a decade. A financial crisis in his tractor business forced him to sell Automobili Lamborghini to Swiss investors, after which he retired to a farm near Lake Trasimeno. Giotto Bizzarrini Giotto Bizzarrini, after experiences at Alfa Romeo and Ferrari where he authored all major engines until 1961, founded a consultancy in Livorno. Ferruccio Lamborghini commissioned him to design a V12 under a strict agreement: if the engine failed to meet specifications, he would not be paid. The result was a magnificent 3.9-litre twelve-cylinder engine, first installed in the 350 GTV and later mounted transversely at the rear of the Miura. Gianpaolo Dallara, a central figure in our story, he held a degree in aeronautical engineering and was a passionate devotee of motor racing. In 1959 he was hired by Enzo Ferrari with the promise that he would be assigned to trackside racing activities. Instead, he was placed in the Technical Office, working alongside a group of some fifteen technicians responsible for the design of all Ferrari cars, from racing machines to road models. Among them were the legendary Rocchi and Salvarani. At this point, I ask the reader’s indulgence for a brief personal aside: like Dallara, though some ten years later, I too was personally hired by Ferrari to work at the circuit, only to be redirected in the same way to the Engineering Studies department. There, I also found Rocchi and Salvarani still in place, who, despite not being engineers, continued to serve as exceptional tutors in the specialised art of sports-car design. I am certain that Dallara, too, came to appreciate their extraordinary competence. His frustration peaked when he was sent to the Monaco Grand Prix not as a track engineer but as a spectator. He then moved to Maserati under Giulio Alfieri and, in 1963, joined Lamborghini as head of the newly created technical department, designing the chassis of the Miura before leaving six years later to pursue Formula One and Formula Two projects with Frank Williams. Gianpaolo Dallara Paolo Stanzani, a Bologna engineering graduate with a reserved character, met Ferruccio Lamborghini almost by chance and was hired on the spot. Initially responsible for testing, homologation and development, he worked closely with Dallara on the Miura. In 1968 he became general manager and later designed the Countach. Deeply affected by Ferruccio’s departure and the company’s financial difficulties, he left Lamborghini in 1975 to work in civil engineering. From the left: Bob Wallace, Paolo Stanzani, Ferruccio Lamborghini, Gianpaolo Dallara Marcello Gandini stands as the central figure in the creation of the Miura myth. A designer with extraordinary mechanical culture, he entered Bertone as a freelancer in 1965 and became a full-time employee in 1965 when Giugiaro left, remaining for fourteen years. Frustrated by Lamborghini’s absence from racing, Dallara effectively conceived a near-competition car at a time when all road sports cars still used front engines and rear-wheel drive, despite Ferrari’s famous warning against “putting the cart before the horse”. Marcello Gandini Racing practice had already demonstrated the superiority of the rear-engine layout, and Lamborghini placed its V12 transversely behind the cockpit, with the gearbox beneath the engine and clutch and differential integrated in a single casting. The aeronautically inspired boxed-steel chassis featured lightening holes, independent suspension and disc brakes all round, while front-mounted horizontal radiators unfortunately expelled hot air towards the windscreen. It was immediately clear that this project overturned Lamborghini’s own philosophy. Although the engineers feared Ferruccio’s reaction, he accepted it on the condition of limited production. The naked rolling chassis was displayed at the Turin Motor Show in November 1965, eclipsing even the nearby De Tomaso Vallelunga and convincing Nuccio Bertone that he was the man to “make the shoe to Lamborghini’s foot”. Gandini was entrusted with styling and construction only months before the Geneva Motor Show of 1966. Turin Motor Show 1965: the chassis that ignited the Miura legend. Photo Lamborghini In an extraordinary three-month effort, Gandini’s team delivered the Miura P400. Unveiled in brilliant orange, it instantly made all other sports cars appear outdated. The Miura projected the industry into a new era and earned the title of supercar through its low, flowing form, mechanical expressiveness and rejection of decorative excess. It established a Lamborghini philosophy based on visual impact, innovation and perpetual reinvention, later embodied by the Countach and Diablo. Technical problems inevitably followed, yet even Enzo Ferrari reportedly remarked, after seeing it in action, “fortunately this car is built by Lamborghini”, a sentence that revealed admiration for the concept while underestimating its execution. One is left to wonder whether, in that moment, he recalled having provoked Ferruccio Lamborghini into creating the very car that would redefine the modern sports car. It soon became clear that the Miura overturned Lamborghini’s established design philosophy entirely. When the engineers presented their drawings to Ferruccio Lamborghini, they did so with a degree of apprehension, and were genuinely surprised when he approved the project, albeit with visible reservations. Lamborghini agreed on one essential condition: production would be limited to a small number of cars intended for the most daring clients, and the model would primarily serve as a technological and image-building flagship for the company’s more conventional production. Working relentlessly, day and night, the team succeeded in presenting a naked rolling chassis, devoid of bodywork, at the Turin Motor Show in November 1965, a bold and unconventional move that immediately set the project apart. It mattered little that a nearby stand displayed the spider that would later evolve into the De Tomaso Vallelunga, itself featuring a rear-engine layout. The attention of visitors and rival engineers alike was irresistibly drawn to this mysterious, radical machine. Many doubted that a true road car could ever be derived from such an audacious technical concept, yet Nuccio Bertone, present at the show, instantly recognised its potential. Deeply impressed, he approached Ferruccio Lamborghini with a memorable offer: “I am the one who can make the shoe to fit your foot.” Just two months later, shortly before Christmas, Lamborghini entrusted Bertone with both the styling and construction of the bodywork. At that decisive moment, Marcello Gandini entered the story. He was given a seemingly impossible task: just three months to define the design, hand-craft the body panels and assemble them onto the chassis. Working with extraordinary intensity, Gandini and his team achieved what can only be described as a miracle. In the spring of 1966, they unveiled a fully running prototype at the Geneva Motor Show. Gandini would later explain that he had worked in total creative freedom, constrained only by international regulations which, at that time, were still relatively permissive. The lack of time allowed no second thoughts: the design flowed instinctively, pure and uncompromised. From the very beginning, the Miura anticipated the philosophy that would define Lamborghini styling for decades. It was conceived to provoke love at first sight, to celebrate mechanical beauty, and to communicate power and speed directly, even when standing still, with an impact capable of leaving observers speechless. There would be no family resemblance between models. Each Lamborghini was meant to be radically different from its predecessor, a principle that would later be honoured by both the Countach and the Diablo. The Miura’s low, flowing single-volume form, its clean and decisive lines, and its deliberate rejection of purely decorative elements such as chrome trim, two-tone paintwork or mouldings conveyed aggression, exclusivity and a clear break from the conventions of competing sports cars. When the Miura P400 was unveiled at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, finished in a brilliant shade of orange, its success was immediate and unprecedented. Overnight, every other sports car seemed to belong to a previous era. The Miura projected the automotive world into a new dimension of performance and design, earning for itself the defining title of supercar. As Gandini had intended, the car left audiences breathless. Yet, with the modesty typical of truly great figures, he later claimed that the enthusiastic reception far exceeded its actual merits. In this tribute to the Miura, I do not wish to dwell on the countless technical challenges that would later be addressed and resolved, except to recall one revealing episode. During road testing, Miura test drivers often engaged in impromptu acceleration contests with their Ferrari counterparts, frequently emerging victorious. I know with certainty the remark Enzo Ferrari made to his collaborators at the time: “fortunately this car is built by Lamborghini.” The comment was not intended as praise for build quality, but it unmistakably acknowledged the brilliance of the concept. One cannot help but wonder whether, in that moment, Ferrari recalled that it was he himself who had provoked Ferruccio Lamborghini into becoming his most audacious rival.   Luigi Marmiroli was born in Fiorano Modenese in 1945. After graduating in mechanical engineering at the University of Padua, in 1970 he was hired by Ferrari to introduce electronic computing to Maranello for the first time. In 1976 he founded Fly Studio with Giacomo Caliri, designing and managing competition cars on international circuits. Their main works were for Fittipaldi Copersucar, Autodelta, ATS and Minardi, with whom they joined forces. The developments in the partnership with Autodelta led Marmiroli to manage the technical unit of the Euroracing team in 1983. Two years later he was hired by Lamborghini to design the heir of the Countach. Other projects came after the 17 versions of the Diablo, though due to the continuing changes of ownership of the Sant’Agata based company, they were never put into production. Marmiroli relaunched Fly Studio in 1997, providing consulting services. One of the projects of the last few years is the development of microcars, quadbikes and commercial vehicles, including electric versions.

A one-off 1963 prototype that transformed a legendary endurance racer into an elegant yet aggressive gran turismo. Words by Edgardo Michelotti Photos and Drawings: Archivio Storico Michelotti   www.archiviostoricomichelotti.it An automobile conceived as a racing car “disguised” as a sporting grand tourer: this is how I would define the Jaguar D-Type Michelotti of 1963, a project born from my father Giovanni Michelotti’s constant drive to propose new ideas and explore uncharted stylistic territories. This restless creativity led him to acquire, almost by chance, the chassis and engine of a racing car of major historical importance, a machine that had been at the forefront of international competition in the late 1950s. The opportunity arose to purchase, for a relatively modest sum, a Jaguar D-Type racer, chassis XKD 513, which had competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans driven by its French owner Jean-Marie Brussin, an industrial diamond manufacturer who raced under the pseudonym “Mary”. After achieving an excellent third place at Le Mans in 1957, Brussin decided to return the following year, but the 1958 edition ended tragically when he was involved in a fatal accident on 21 June. In 1960 my father had just opened his own independent coachbuilding atelier, and the prospect of working freely on such an illustrious Jaguar excited him enormously. The car was subsequently presented at the Geneva International Motor Show, traditionally held in early March, where it immediately attracted attention for its originality and coherence. Michelotti shaped the D-Type into an extremely sleek, aerodynamic and elegant coupé, yet one that retained a distinctly aggressive character. The front end was defined by a striking “shark-tooth” grille feeding air to the engine, flanked by slightly protruding round headlamps that appeared like watchful eyes skimming the road surface, while the bumper was split at the centre, its two terminal overriders framing the licence plate. Large air outlets carved into the front wings improved ventilation of the engine bay, while the rising, arrow-like side profile flowed naturally towards the rear, culminating in a pronounced tail with an overhanging boot and a similarly split rear bumper. The substantial rear overriders echoed those at the front, and the horizontal tail-lights aligned neatly with the centrally positioned number plate. The interior was equally unconventional and forward-thinking, with a fully padded dashboard designed to absorb impact and protect the passenger, circular in form and with instruments placed for perfect legibility by the driver. A strictly three-spoke wooden Nardi steering wheel enhanced both safety and driving pleasure, while the generously upholstered door panels were ergonomically shaped to allow comfortable arm support. In my view, this remains one of the most beautiful automobiles ever designed by my father. The prototype enjoyed considerable success and was eventually sold to an American collector, Richard Carter, based in Georgia. In the 1990s it became the property of French film director Roland Urban, who chose to repaint it in a vivid Ferrari red and proudly counted it among several other Jaguar Michelotti creations originating from my father’s work for the Swiss coachbuilder Ghia-Aigle during the 1960s. A particularly telling anecdote dates from 1991, when Urban drove the car from Cannes to Turin to attend the second Michelotti gathering. On the A10 motorway near Genoa he found himself engaged in an impromptu high-speed duel with a Ferrari 400 whose driver initially dismissed the Jaguar at a glance. The contest ended with the Ferrari lifting off first, prompting Urban to remark, with justified pride, that his opponent clearly had no idea he was challenging a genuine racing car. Among the surviving photographs, one image remains especially striking, showing the Jaguar in its red livery surrounded by a group of Great Danes, a beautiful and evocative photograph taken by Peter Vann that perfectly captures the car’s powerful yet refined presence. About tha author Edgardo Michelotti: Born in 1952, I hold a diploma as a surveyor and pursued a degree in Architecture in Turin. I began working alongside my father in 1973 until his illness and passing in early 1980. I continued his work until 1991, when I transitioned away from the automotive industry. For the next 15 years, I focused on industrial design, while also engaging in photography and archival digitization from 2003 to the present. This allowed me to manage an extensive archive, including the specific cataloging and complete digitization of approximately 6,000 graphic units, 20,000 photographs, 7,000 kg of full-scale design plans, as well as scale models, tools, correspondence, and periodicals. The archive spans over three decades, covering the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

A landmark in Porsche’s early history, the 356 A 1600 represents the moment when the young Stuttgart manufacturer perfected the balance between elegance, simplicity and driving pleasure. Built in an era when every curve and mechanical sound carried meaning, it remains one of the most authentic expressions of the Porsche spirit. Chassis no. 104332 is a Porsche 356 A 1600 Coupé, first registered in the United States on 22 August 1958. It was imported into Belgium in 1983 and has since enjoyed a long life in careful European ownership. Between 2017 and 2018, the car underwent a complete body-off restoration by Oldtimer Farm in Belgium. Every mechanical and cosmetic component was carefully rebuilt or refinished, with extensive photo documentation attesting to the quality of the work. The original matching-numbers 1.6-litre flat-four engine was fully overhauled, ensuring both authenticity and reliability. Finished in its elegant Meissen Blue colour with dark red leather, the car presents beautifully inside and out. The odometer currently shows 28,518 km, corresponding to its life since restoration. A Belgian Certificate of Conformity (COC) accompanies the car, and all maintenance is up to date. Mechanically, the 356 A is powered by its 1,582 cc flat-four engine, delivering 60 hp (44 kW) through a precise 4-speed manual gearbox. Compact, light and delightfully engaging, it remains one of the most rewarding classic driving experiences — equally suited to collection or regular use. As one of the purest expressions of Porsche’s early DNA, this 356 A Coupé offers timeless style, technical authenticity, and the refined charm that defines the marque’s golden era. 1958 Porsche 356 A AD Sportscars If you are interested in the content of this listing, please contact the Dealer. Contact details are indicated below in the section "Contact the Dealer." 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SH ID 25-1114004 FEATURED BY SPEEDHOLICS In Stock SEARCH OTHER CARS Belgium Dealer This Car Contact the Dealer I am Interested Legal & Copyright Gearbox Manual Fuel Gasoline Engine 1.6L 4 cyl. Exterior color Meissen Blue Interior color Red leather Power kW (HP) 44 kW (60 HP) Country Origin USA AD Sportscars Sint-Martinusweg 189 Zaventem Belgium Contact details info@adsportscars.com +32 475 71 26 42 Visit dealer's website If you are intrested in this car and you would like SpeedHolics to put you in touch with the right person, please fill in this form. Let us arrange everything for you. How to contact you? I'd like to receive weekly updates about new listings SUBMIT We take your privacy seriously. While submitting your information please check our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use Your content has been submitted Disclaimer SpeedHolics has not been paid to feature this product or brand, nor will we profit from any purchases you may make through the links in this article. We’re a fully independent website. SpeedHolics provides the information contained in this section solely as a resource for its users without any form of assurance. While SpeedHolics tries to provide high quality content, it does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, appropriateness for use or timeliness of this information. Visitors to this page should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any of the material it contains without first conducting their own investigations and seeking professional advice specific to their own situation if necessary. We will not be liable for any transactions carried out by you as a result of the information that you can find on this page. Please exercise your due diligence. Dealers Support Are you the owner of this content and you want to make changes or to ask any questions to our editorial team? Write an email to team@speedholics.com. Copyright & DMCA Photos and texts are property and copyright of the respective owner as indicated in the section "Dealer" of this page. SpeedHolics has requested and obtained written authorisation to reproduce the content. Copyright holders who believe their rights under copyright law have been infringed are invited to follow our notice and takedown procedure as required by DMCA regulations. The notice and take down procedure is described here: https://www.speedholics.com/copyright A landmark in Porsche’s early history, the 356 A 1600 represents the moment when the young Stuttgart manufacturer perfected the balance between elegance, simplicity and driving pleasure. Built in an era when every curve and mechanical sound carried meaning, it remains one of the most authentic expressions of the Porsche spirit. Chassis no. 104332 is a Porsche 356 A 1600 Coupé, first registered in the United States on 22 August 1958. It was imported into Belgium in 1983 and has since enjoyed a long life in careful European ownership. Between 2017 and 2018, the car underwent a complete body-off restoration by Oldtimer Farm in Belgium. Every mechanical and cosmetic component was carefully rebuilt or refinished, with extensive photo documentation attesting to the quality of the work. The original matching-numbers 1.6-litre flat-four engine was fully overhauled, ensuring both authenticity and reliability. Finished in its elegant Meissen Blue colour with dark red leather, the car presents beautifully inside and out. The odometer currently shows 28,518 km, corresponding to its life since restoration. A Belgian Certificate of Conformity (COC) accompanies the car, and all maintenance is up to date. Mechanically, the 356 A is powered by its 1,582 cc flat-four engine, delivering 60 hp (44 kW) through a precise 4-speed manual gearbox. Compact, light and delightfully engaging, it remains one of the most rewarding classic driving experiences — equally suited to collection or regular use. As one of the purest expressions of Porsche’s early DNA, this 356 A Coupé offers timeless style, technical authenticity, and the refined charm that defines the marque’s golden era. 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