Back to back: 1950 Fiat or 1950 Veritas?

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You had to be a bit of an eccentric to by one of those large convertibles offered for sale in the Europe of 1950. As you needed to have deep pockets also, as these were expensive cars, made in very limited numbers for a small group of customers. Bonhams is taking an eclectic mix of classics to Alia Island on March the 7th, and the duo seen here are just two of them. But what a duo they are…

First there is lot 224, a 1950 Fiat 1100 Cabriolet with body by Stabilimenti Farina in typical understated style. This particular car was sold new to a mister Alessandro Alexandri of Italy who enjoyed it for just two years and the car became a promotional vehicle for US Salco; an Italian cycling team. How long they used it as such remains unknown, and the first sign of life dates back to the 1980s when the Fiat was discovered in an almost complete, but tired condition by the owner of an Italian restoration shop. In nearly twenty years time he restored it – not all too easy with its Superleggera body construction. Bumpers, which were missing, were remade in aluminium. A full history file with restoration report, period photographs, original paperwork and more comes with the car. According to the seller just a handful of these 1100 Cabriolets were produced with Farina bodies, just four are believed to have survived. This one is estimated to sell at 150- to 175,000 dollars. See all its details here.

An then there is lot 295: for a 1950 Veritas Scorpion Cabriolet with body by Spohn. It’s not quite so understated as the Fiat, we can only agree, but still we can see links between the two designs. It’s about as rare, though. Exact numbers are not known, but there cannot be more than a handful of this model that survive. As a matter of fact Bonhams sold a near-similar car some years ago, when it made just over 900,000 dollars at the Quail Lodge auction in 2015 (click here) Compared to that this blue car’s estimate of 350- to 450,000 dollars seems low. Perhaps it’s the lack of history that does it? Despite full recommissioning by BMW Classic, BMW cannot date this particular car to its delivery specifications and ownership history. It is presented with updated German registration and invoices listing the work completed by BMW. See it here.

(Words editor, pictures Bonhams)

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