Carrozzeria Fissore - A designer that puts the heart first. Head not second, but last.

The Fiat 1600S Coupé O.S.C.A is a classic car that will make any enthusiast wring their neck and strike a -petrol related- chord with everyone. In the autumn of 1962, the Fissore body was shown for the first time at the Torino Motorshow. A beautifully shaped coupé with many typical Italian lines and handiwork. If you take a quick look, it looks quite a lot like Uncle Enzo's; this one is just (even) a bit friendlier to the wallet!

Fissore only had one problem towards Fiat; the car was more expensive in production than they sold it for to the public. The interior was at least as beautiful as that of a Ferrari, the body was partly handmade from aluminium, the dashboard was full of shiny Jaeger clocks and everything was assembled and finished by hand. The split rear window was five times (!) as expensive as a regular rear window. Convenient? No. Logico? Assolutamente! In early '63 Fiat also intervened and made significant changes to the bodywork. The bumpers, lights and rear window disappeared right after the first production cars. At the end of '63 Fiat pulled the plug on the Fissore bodies. Porca puttana!

Final result? About 25 Fissore coaches are registered and known, most of which were produced in 1963. So, of the real 1962 Fissore's that can be counted on one hand, we have found one in a private collection!

The beauty of this Fissore is not the body, but what is under the bonnet. At the time Fiat wanted to compete with Alfa who had a beautiful sports car with a double camshaft. They enlisted the help of O.S.C.A., which was in fact none other than the Maserati brothers who had already sold their names in '47, but were still keen to take on a challenge. The 1600 can be recognised by an 'assymetrico', a hoodscoop on one side that makes room for the, yes, double webers. So you get a Mini-Maserati in a beautiful Fissore bodywork. That combined with highly original Carlo Borrani wheels, and every Italian car enthusiast chokes on his Montepulciano for joy.

This Fissore, even a 1600'S', has a slightly larger engine capacity than a 1600, was restored long ago and is still in very original condition. Her paint has been renewed once, but her welds are now part of Fissore's cultural heritage. Over the past twenty years, she has barely been allowed to sizzle and burn, so she is now looking for a new lover.

A presto!