1953 Siata 208 S Spyder

Giorgio Ambrosini, an amateur racer, founded SIATA, in 1926. Cars carrying the company name emerged after WWII. Typically, these cars rode on a proprietary chassis powered by modified Fiat engines. Cars shipped stateside often arrived without engines. Fiat and Crosley competition engines were favored choices.

Although built in 1953, this car sat unsold on the lot of the Beverly Hills Siata importer for several years. Chassis no. BS518 was sold new in 1957, by Beverly Hills oilman Bill Doheny. It was initially equipped with a Fiat Tipo 103 Otto Vu engine. However, the first owner thought a better idea was a Chevrolet V8. This was a common swap, occurring in no less than 15 of the 37 208S models.

It changed hands again in the 1960s and was then acquired by Rick McBride in 1979. He managed to track down a correct replacement engine, which he had fitted in the late 1980s/early 1990s. In 1993 it was sold and the new owner removed the 8V engine and fitted it with a Ford small-block V8. In 1998, the Ford-powered Siata was acquired by its next owner, who spent the following years tracking down another Fiat 8V engine and brought it back to its original specifications. The car was restored a second time and finished in 2015 by a Belgian collector.