1953 Fiat 1100 Cabriolet
Michelotti’s split grille, tapering aggressively to a central point, was among the most discussed details at the 1953 Salone di Torino, where Carrozzeria Allemano debuted both this cabriolet and a companion coupe.
Italian press praised the pair as “original and beautiful two-seaters with a very personalized front,” and following the Turin show, Serafino Allemano presented the cabriolet at the 7th Concorso d’Eleganza at Cortina d’Ampezzo, where it won first in class.
The sharknose treatment predated the Ferrari 156 F1 car by roughly seven years; some historians suggest it may have influenced that design, and later sharp-nosed Ferraris of the early 1960s.
The Fiat 1100/103 was introduced at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show as a fully modern replacement for the earlier 1100E. The 1100/103 used the company’s 1,089cc overhead-valve four-cylinder with a counterbalanced crankshaft and revised carburetion, producing around 36 horsepower.
Unitized construction reduced overall weight by more than 200 pounds compared to the previous model, and a four-speed manual gearbox was standard across the range. The cabriolet’s curb weight was approximately 1,830 pounds (830 kg).
Research indicates only two coupes and four cabriolets were built in the Allemano style, with just two cabriolets believed to survive. The small production run continued through 1953 before a revised Michelotti design succeeded it in 1954.
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