A very rare 1953 Carrozzeria Vignale bodied Fiat 1100, just one of two in existence, has set a world record price for this historic model after fetching an impressive US$418,000 last week during Gooding & Co’s Amelia Island auction.
The story starts seventy years ago when Alfredo Vignale opened his shop, in 1948, and by 1953 the firm's stand at the Torino Motor Show was filled with show cars, including an amazing Fiat 1100 Coupe dressed with a body penned by one of the most gifted automotive designers of the time, Giovanni Michelotti.
This car is one of only two known 1100 Coupes bodied by Vignale in this design, and – according to the auctioneer – visual evidence suggests that it was shown in Torino, but it is thus far impossible to state this conclusively. The auctioneers listed the car as having chassis no. 024545 and engine no 025389.
Admired for its deceptively simple design and countless details, the Vignale Coupe is as sporting as it is sophisticated.
The Coupe’s documented history begins in 1954, when it arrived in the US and was registered to Harrison Godwin, a cartoonist and hotelier in Carmel, California. Mr. Godwin showed the 1100 at the 1955 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, painted red with a black top, where it was awarded Second in Class. There is evidence of the car being shipped back and forth from Italy, including a series of photos taken in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Trieste, with the car wearing its California license plate.
In 1967, the 1100 Vignale was photographed at Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey; later that year, it overheated near Salem, Oregon, and was stored at a local shop with the intention of repairing it.
After the project stalled, collector Mike Malone, who had been pursuing the car for years, finally purchased it in 1984. Mr. Malone vigorously researched the car’s history, but it continued to sit idle until August 2008, when the current owner acquired it. The consignor states that the restoration lasted longer than intended, as no shortcuts were taken – and the results are truly spectacular.
The most difficult aspects of the seven-year project were the re-creation of the hubcap medallions and the restoration of the ultra-rare Nardi performance components, including the original steering wheel and induction and brake parts.
Finished in Velvet Green and Black over Pumpkin leather, the Fiat returned to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2016 after a 60-year absence, then was shown at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, where it won the Designer’s Choice Trophy. In 2017, the rare coupe earned a prestigious Best in Class award at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
The car was sold in Amelia Island last week along with Giovanni Michelotti’s original pencil sketches of the design, its original tool kit, and its FIVA identity card, as well as a rich history file.
Previous owners
Harrison Godwin, Carmel, California (acquired in 1954)
Benz Repair, Salem, Oregon (acquired from the above in 1967)
Mike Malone (acquired from the above in 1984)
Current Owner (acquired from the above in 2008)
Show appearances
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Pebble Beach, California, April 1955 (Second in Class)
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Pebble Beach, California, April 1956
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Pebble Beach, California, August 2016
ArtCenter College of Design, Pasadena, California, October 2016 (Designer’s Choice Trophy)
Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Amelia Island, Florida, March 2017 (Best in Class)
Literary appreances
Motor Life, July 1956, “The Cars at Pebble Beach,” pictured on p. 17
Hemmings Motor News, May 2016, “Old World Mystery Cars”
Autoweek, August 2016, “Daily Drive,” featured
Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car, January 2017, pictured on cover and p. 37
Vintage Roadcar, February 2017, pictured on p. 46
