Cisitalia 505 (1953) – Into the Wild

Cisitalia 505 (1953) – Into the Wild

It can’t get much more exclusive than this: a Cisitalia 505 DF! A beautiful Italian creation from the 1950s, this is said to be the only one in the world still in running condition.

Have we already got our hands on the most special spot of the year? Maybe. We thank AutoWeek forum member Rutger DC from the bottom of our hearts for sharing these photos in the dedicated topic on our forum. The Cisitalia 505 DF Ghia, as it is called in full, is one of the world’s rarest cars. Ten of these were built, of which only two are said to be known. One of those two is in immaculate and roadworthy condition. That’s the car we have in front of us here.

An old advertisement of this particular car gives us a little more insight into the past of this Cisitalia 505. It was delivered new to a Swiss driver named Fritz Stolz and then spent several decades in Switzerland. Subsequently, the 505 came into German hands, after which the second German owner had the car completely restored in the United States for more than 200,000 dollars. In 2014, the car then won the top prize for restored cars at the German Schloss Bensberg Competition. After this, the car ended up in Belgium and now it is in the Netherlands. Perhaps not anymore, because Rutger spotted the car at a restoration company in Voorschoten.

Cisitalia 202

Cisitalia 202

There is a good chance that you have never heard of this beautiful Italian beauty or even know the Cisitalia brand. No one will probably blame you for that, because the company was founded in 1946 and went bankrupt in 1963. Cisitalia started with the focus on racing and even attracted Ferdinand Porsche in 1946, but the brand soon decided that it could better focus on road cars. The most ‘known’ model is the 202. Or rather, the 202 model series. A coupé, which is largely made of aluminum, for which Pininfarina was engaged for the design. Cisitalia and Pininfarina were given a place of honor in the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1951 with the special design. Various versions were based on the 202, including an open 202 Spider and the very special 202 CMM designed by Vignale.

Cisitalia 202 CMM

Cisitalia 202 CMM

Okay, back to the 505 DF Ghia. After the 202, Cisitalia thought it was time for a new two-door, for which it seized the technical basis of the Fiat 1900. The lords of Cisitalia had a strong network in the Italian car industry and could therefore use the brand new 1900 as a basis in 1953. That was a pretty progressive car for its time and therefore a suitable basis for something special like the 505. This time Ghia was brought in for the design and – let’s be honest – it did a wonderful job. Of course Cisitalia wanted the 505 to have a bit more than the Fiat 1900 and so the 1.9 was equipped with double Weber carburettors, with which the power of the four-cylinder engine grew from roughly 70 hp to between 80 and 85 hp. Reportedly, the 505 had enough oomph to get to a speed of 160 km/h relatively easily. Not earth-shattering, but we’re talking 1953 here.

As with the previous cars from Cisitalia, the production number was quite limited. Only ten 505s saw the light of day. Cisitalia had meanwhile found itself in very difficult financial circumstances and had already had to make a new start in 1949 after it had been placed under receivership. The son of founder Piero Dusio continued the work of his now retired father, but a lack of demand for exclusive cars such as Cisitalia made, among other things, meant that little more was achieved. After the 505, only the Fiat 1500S-based DF85 Coupé from Fissore appeared as swan song from Cisitalia.

Cisitalia 505 DF

A special piece of car history, of which an extremely rare heirloom has visited our country. The 505 was offered for almost €270,000 at the time, according to the old ad we found. In the meantime, the value may have already passed 3 tons. Take a good look at it again, because there is a chance that this 505 will no longer be photographed in public for the time being. Here you will find more photos of this particular example.

– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl

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