Lot 143: 1959 FIAT Osca 1500

1959 FIAT-OSCA 1500 Coupé
Coachwork by Carrozzeria Viotti
Chassis no. 118S002073


OSCA’s outstanding success in international sports car racing led to its advanced twin-overhead-camshaft engine being taken up by FIAT, for whom it was ‘productionised’ by ex-Ferrari designer, Aurelio Lampredi. OSCA - Officine Specializzate per la Costruzione Automobili Fratelli Maserati - had been founded immediately after WW2 by the three surviving Maserati brothers, who had sold out to the Orsi Group in 1937. One of the reasons for the Maserati brothers’ departure was that they did not want to be involved in making road cars - they were racers pure and simple - and OSCA was set up to manufacture limited edition competition cars.

OSCAs performed magnificently in international sports car racing throughout the 1950s. In the 1954 Sebring 12-Hours, a round of the World Sports Car Championship, privately entered 1.5-litre OSCAs finished 1st, 4th and 5th against works teams in a category with no limit on engine capacity, an achievement as outstanding as it was unexpected. OSCAs took class wins in the Mille Miglia on ten occasions and also won the Index of Performance at Le Mans.

The first FIAT models to receive the OSCA-derived engine were the 1500 coupé and cabriolet, which were first introduced in 1959. Maximum power was reduced from 125bhp to 80bhp, but that still meant a top speed of 105mph and a 0-60mph time of 10.6 seconds. Dunlop disc brakes were standard from 1960. In 1962 FIAT introduced the milder, overhead-valve engined 1500 coupé/cabriolet but the authentic OSCA-powered original is the one to have.

The red FIAT-OSCA 1500 offered here wears fixed-head coupé coachwork by Carrozzeria Viotti. Founded in Turin in the early 1920s, Vittorino Viotti’s carrozzeria built bodies for (mainly) Alfa Romeo, Lancia and FIAT, mass-producing many special-bodied models for the latter. Famed designers such as Frua and Revelli worked for Viotti, producing many uniquely beautiful bespoke creations, and it is intriguing to speculate on who may have been responsible for this stylish FIAT-OSCA Coupé.

This actual car featured in Oldtimer Markt magazine’s November 1998 issue. Purchased by the current owner at Essen in 2007 and displayed at the Concours d’Elegance in Schloss Dyk in August of that same year, it is described as in wonderful condition throughout.

The car is offered with (copy) Oldtimer Markt article and German registration/roadworthiness papers.

• Italian coachbuilt style
• Desirable OSCA-engined version
• Potential Concours entry




Cette FIAT OSCA a été carrossée en coupé par Carrozzeria Viotti. Fondée à Turin au début des années 1920, la carrozzeria de Vittorino Viotti a travaillé principalement pour Alfa Romeo, Lancia et FIAT en produisant pour cette dernière marque des caisses spéciales en demi-série. De talentueux stylistes ont collaboré avec Viotti dont Frua et Revelli, créateurs de nombreuses réalisations uniques. Il est donc permis de s’interroger sur l’auteur de cette élégante FIAT-OSCA Coupé.

Cette voiture figure dans le numéro de novembre 1998 du magazine Oldtimer Market. Acquise par l’actuel propriétaire à Essen en 2007, elle a participé au Concours d’élégance de Schloss Dyk au mois d’août de la même année et se présente en superbe état à tout point de vue.
Elle sera accompagnée d’une copie de l’article d’Oldtimer Market , et de ses papiers allemands (immatriculation et contrôle technique).

• Carrosserie de style italien
• Version à moteur OSCA la plus cotée
• Concurrente potentielle dans les concours d’élégance