1949 Fiat 1500 6C Sport Barchetta — Bodied by Lanzarone, Stanguellini-Prepared
Post-war Italy produced a whole class of cars that never appeared in any catalogue: one-off specials built by small shops for drivers who wanted to race. This Fiat 1500 6C Sport is one of them, commissioned by Giovanni Casales, a Sicilian gentleman driver who contested the Targa Florio several times at the wheel of a Cisitalia. It was built as his back-up machine for that race and never ultimately competed — the reason it survives today without the accident damage, replaced sections and post-shunt rebuilds that complicate so many cars of the era. It spent most of its life in Palermo before moving north to Tuscany.
The chassis is the work of CAMEN — Costruzione Auto e Motori Esposito Napoli — a respected Neapolitan constructor, combining a Fiat 1500 front section with part of a Lancia Aprilia rear frame. Over it sits a hand-formed barchetta body by Lanzarone in aero-grade aluminium just 1.8mm thick, over an internal chrome-alloy structure. Power comes from the six-cylinder engine carrying Stanguellini preparation, a name that still commands attention wherever small-displacement Italian racing machinery is discussed, good for roughly 160 km/h. A Nardi Moretti gear shifter is among the details rarely seen on a Fiat of this type.
Discovered in 1988 as a genuine barn find — largely abandoned under a shelter, wearing pale yellow over its original red — the car passed to a single custodian who held it for close to three decades. Rather than rush the work, he waited until it could be done properly, then entrusted it to five or six of Italy's finest artisan houses. The restoration was completed in December 2017:
Mechanical work by the Falanga workshop in Sicily, including remade pistons and internal components
Chassis straightened; the body, stored on a wooden frame, had survived undamaged
The boot lid was the only missing panel and was fabricated new
Seats re-trimmed in period-correct Vipla; the cork-rimmed wheel restored by the owner, a carpenter by trade
Original 1950s Pirelli Stella Bianca tyres still fitted
The finish is a two-tone dark red and brown — a combination the coachbuilder initially resisted, and which the owner secured only by agreeing to pay for a complete repaint if it disappointed. It did not, and the car draws a crowd at every event it attends. Its period, provenance and preparation open doors to the Mille Miglia Storica and the wider European rally and concours calendar, and its concours credentials are already established: it was invited to the Poltu Quatu Classic Concorso di Eleganza in Sardinia immediately following its restoration.
It comes with:
Photos of its discovery and of the restoration
Purchase documents from the owner
A photocopy of the original period documents, including the Italian registration booklet with pages from the province of Palermo
Photos of events and newspaper articles
A sworn appraisal by a court-appointed expert (CTU) certifying its value both as found and in its current state
CSAI–FIVA passport and CRS
The car is located in Italy, and is offered at €400,000
If you would like to keep the car in Europe to participate in races and rallys I can arrange that.. And even assist in suggesting events to participate in. I can also assist in shipping the car anywhere in the world. Door to Door.
This car is being represented by Kelly Dietrick Exceptional Car Broker. Brokering historic competition cars worldwide.
