Telaio N. : 0010351
Motore N. : 1100S 500027

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​This ultimate rare car was made in a 205MM Gilco chassis with a 1100 FIAT engine and Zagato spider body at 1951.

The 205 frame build for a Mille Miglia "Barchetta",It was later developed with Zagato bodywork for a limited production vehicle with 1100 machinery.The design called by the manufacture of a limited series (50-100) small spiders.

At the end only one vehicle was build,which remained at the prototype stage.The fame which made extensive use of tubes with an oval cross-section (which provited greater resistance to flexing) weighed a total of some 250 kg.

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With the chassis number issued by the Milan Motoring Authorities, this unique Zagato-bodied spider was later sold on 23 June 1951 to its first owner, Mr Lucio Grunzweig, with the license plate MI 166314.

Recorded in John de Boer’s Italian Car Register, the car’s current owner purchased it in central Italy about three years ago. Not in drivable condition at the time of purchase, he imported the car to Germany, and Robert Schramm in Oberursel returned it to road-worthy condition.

This car patricipated at Targa Presider 2013 Avezzano Italy.

General history

Looking for possibilities to expand his fathers tube-manufacturing business (used extensively in the bicycle industry) Gilberto Colombo moved into the automotive chassis business, becoming famous for the light weight and strength of his products which used circular or elliptic section tubes welded together. One of his first customers was Ferrari, who used chassis' from Gilco in many of their cars (including the 125, 166, 212S, 340 Mexico, 250MM,500S, 250GT and some F1 cars). Other car companies followed, including Cisitalia, Fiat, Stanguellini, Osca, Giannini, Alfa Romeo, Zagato, Maserati(various A6, 150S, 200S and others) and Nardi.

Gilco also construced a very small number of their own cars, and also built chassis' for private customers, mainly in the 750 and 1100 Sport categories, who used mechanicals and engines from various sources, often the ubiquitous Fiat 1100.

Carrozzeria Riva from Merate (Como) was in its existence not always busy with build of cars. It was the journalist and coureur Giovannino Lurani Cernuschi that its vehicle park wanted to maintain through Riva and Riva sometimes the task gave a risk to build, as for instance the 'Nibbio' record car from 1935. On basis of a Gilco-Cattaneo chassis on the order of Lurani were built also a number of Alfas. The Gilco-Cattaneo pipe frame had been designed by the engineer Guido Cattaneo in cooperation with the specialized firm Gilco, that also supplier was by pipe frames for the first Ferrari's. Cattaneo had yet a number Alfa 2500 SS motors lie from for the war and built these on the Gilco-Cattaneo chassis. A number of this Alpha Romeo-Cattaneo' s became voozien of a carrosserie of Colli, but also Riva has one or two specimens built to a design of Lurani. After this period, Riva stops with the producing of cars to own correct and holds self mainly busy with the repairing and convert of existing carrosserias.