Siata 208 S Spyder Bertone, 1953 208 S Spyder Bertone Pictures, News, Reviews, and Info | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Wallpaper, Pricing, Information, History

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Designer: Bertone
Chassis Num: 523

Designed by Michelotti and built by Bertone in 1953, the Siata (Chassis #523) was equipped with the Fiat 8V 'kit' including 2-liter engine, 4-speed transmission, and independent suspension. Its stunning clean design provided many styling cues seen in later cars. Less than 35 of the Spiders were ever built, with most finding their way to the West Coast. This car, #523, was originally sold to Steve McQueen and spent most of its life in California. It is the only one to have been shown at Pebble Beach twice, as well as many of the other Northern concours events. It participated in the inaugural Mille Autunno and the California Classic rallies.

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Designer: Bertone

Siata was a small Italian car manufacturer that created a series of sports cars, competing from 1926 to 1970. The 208S Spyder was the first car in a series of three prototypes built for the International Motor Show in New York in 1953. It was then sold and raced as part of the Ecurie Shoestring at many Sports Car Club of America events, reaching an impressive 2nd in class finish and 7th overall at Sebring 1954. The Siata continued to be competitive for a few more years and then was retired. Its beautiful custom coachwork created by Rocco Motto is a prominent example of balanced Italian styling.

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Designer: Bertone

Societa Italiana Trasformazioni was formed in 1926 by Giorgio Ambrosini to manufacture tuning accessories for Fiat automobiles. The first SIATA car, the Amica, was built in 1939. Then, during WWII, the company produced military equipment for the war effort. Postwar, it produced a very successful auxiliary bicycle motor and returned to producing performance accessores. In 1949, it released the new Amica, followed by the Diana and competition cars. 1951 brought the BC Barchetta Sport Spider, and in 1952, a two seat coupe, the Diana Sport, and the 1400 Grand Sport, a cabriolet, were introduced. This car is a Pinin Farina design, and 200 were produced. In 1961, SIATA became SIATA Auto SpA, producing Fiat-based cars until 1970, when financial problems stopped production. This example was restored and prepped to participate in vintage rallies.

Siata, meaning Societa Italiana Applicazioni Trasformazioni Automobilistiche, was created in 1926 by Georgio Ambrosini of Turin. They specialized in producing tuning accessories for Italian automobiles, mainly Fiat. Throughout the years they created a few prototype vehicles, many of which were entered in various racing events.

The Siata 208 was produced from 1952 through 1954. Many of the mechanical components were courtesy of Fiat, such as the V8 engine that was capable of producing 140 horsepower.

Originally, the vehicle was bodied by Stablimenti Farina but was later handled by Carrozzeria Balbo. Bertone was tasked with producing a GT saloon version powered by a Chrysler engine. In total, around 32 examples were produced.

Photos grouped by event
Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance	Concorso Italiano	Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance	Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering	The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering	Monterey Historic Automobile Races	2005 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

1953 Siata 208 S Spyder Bertone
Year	1953
Make	Siata
Model	208 S Spyder Bertone
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Production Years for Series	1952 - 1955
Body Designer	Bertone
Weight	997 kg \| 2198.4 lbs

Chassis / Engine Numbers Shown
Chassis Number	523
Chassis Number	528

Performance
Top Speed	200 km/h \| 124.3 mph Similar top speeds

Engine
Engine Configuration	V
	Vee-Type
Cylinders	8
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	1996.00 cc \| 121.8 cu in. \| 2 L.
Valvetrain	OHV
Horsepower	125.00 BHP (92 KW) @ 600.00 RPM
Torque	99.00 Ft-Lbs (134.2 NM) @ 4000.00 RPM
HP to Weight Ratio	17.6 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter	62.5 BHP / Liter
Compression Ratio	7.5:1
Fuel Feed	Carburetor
	2 Weber 36 DCN carburetors
	Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight

Standard Transmission
Gears	4
Transmission	Manual

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1953 Siata 208 S Spyder Bertone