Car of the Week: This Ultra-Rare 1953 Siata Could Fetch Close to $2 Million at Auction
Few observers would fail to acknowledge that Italian sports cars from the 1950s and early 1960s are among the most fascinating of any era. Inspired design, clever engineering, and the sheer variety of marques and models makes an exhaustive survey almost impossible. Complicating the equation is that the number of Italian coachbuilders working at the time was nearly as great as the number of automakers themselves, most of whom produced small cars with small engines, in small quantities. Many of those Italian marques and carrozziere are no longer around today, as is the case with those behind this exquisite 1953 Siata 208 CS with body by Balbo.
Siata is an acronym for Società Italiana Auto Trasformazione Accessori, the Turin-based firm founded in 1926 by Giorgio Ambrosini, and which soldiered on under the family until closing its doors in 1970. Like Abarth, Siata manufactured performance parts for Fiat, especially as motorsports in Europe and the Americas gained popularity after World War II. Meanwhile, Fiat provided financial and technological support to Siata, which by 1949 was producing small cars under its own name, and with more sporting aspirations than the standard Fiat fare.
Fiat, meanwhile, had developed a 2.0-liter V-8 engine for a luxury sports car, the Otto Vu (8V), under the aegis of Siata engineer Rudolf Hruska. The high-revving, OHV, all-aluminum engine held promise, making more than 125 hp at 6,000 rpm. That output enabled the car to have a top speed of 125 mph. A four-speed manual gearbox, independent coil suspension, finned alloy drum brakes, and a tube-frame chassis contributed to the model’s competitive personality on road and track.
The engine, called the Tipo 104, was more successful in concept than reality, though, with only about 200 units made, about 114 of which found their way into Fiat’s 8V, itself produced with a variety of bodies. The remaining mills went to Siata, and thus, the 208 CS was born. Giovanni Michelotti designed the body for the perfectly proportioned roadster that defined the iconic look of the era’s rugged sports cars. Yet perhaps more stunning was the 208 CS coupe. Only about 16 were made; seven by Stabilimenti Farina and nine by Balbo of Turin, of which only six—including chassis No. CS072—remain. The Balbo coachwork is generally considered the more beautiful, and this car, retaining its original numbers-matching Tipo 104 engine, represents the model at its most perfect.
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Formerly owned by Charles Betz before becoming a part of Peter Kaus’ Rosso Bianco Collection, the classic coupe eventually came under the stewardship of Tim Walker, who had it comprehensively restored to concours standards during the 2010s. It received a class award at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where I spent an inordinate amount of time admiring it and wondering how anyone of modern proportions might actually fit inside. None of which matters, because a car that achieves such aesthetic perfection can just as easily be admired from the outside looking in.
Interior volume notwithstanding, this impeccable and authentic Siata is eligible for exclusive tours like the Mille Miglia, where it’s as certain to draw a crowd as on the greenest concours lawn. A car that should see some spirited bidding through RM Sotheby’s during Monterey Car Week in August, it carries an estimate as high as $1.8 million.
Click here for more photos of this 1953 Siata 208 CS coupe being auctioned by RM Sotheby’s.
