1955 Siata 300BC Spyder

This 1955 Siata 300 BC Sport Spider was purchased new from importer Tony Pompeo by Don Black of Oak Park, Michigan who drove it from New York to Detroit. It was later used in Michigan sprints, time trials, and hill climbs, achieving five 1st places, two 3rd places, and a single DNF.

The car was sold through a succession of American enthusiasts, and in 1985 it entered the care of Bill Jacobs, and in 1988 to Tony and Lulu Wang. Its next owner was Jeffrey Mamorsky of Greenwich, Connecticut, and shown at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in 2009 where it won Best Italian Sports Car 1946–1956. It was displayed at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, received First in Class at the St. Michaels Concours in 2013, Second in Class at the Amelia Island Concours in 2014, and First in Class at the Pinehurst Concours in 2015.

This Siata BC is equipped with a tuned 1,100 cc Fiat engine featuring an Abarth induction system and twin Weber 32 IM carburetors. It produces an estimated 51 horsepower which is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox. There are four-wheel hydraulic finned-alloy drum brakes, an independent suspension with coil springs, and a live rear axle with coil springs.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2021

SIATA (Sociata Italiana Applicazoine Transformazione Automobile) was an Italian company based in Torino, Italy from 1926 to 1970 during which time it manufactured automobiles and automobile components. Among its most beautiful and successful products was the sports-racing 300 BC Sport Spider, designed and built by Nuccio Bertone and known in Italy as the 'Baby Ferrari' or 'Baby Barchetta (Little Boat)'.

This particular example, 'ST446', was sold new by New York Distributor Tony Pompeo to Duncan Black and has a well-documented provenance from that time. This aluminum bodied car is equipped with a modified 1100cc Fiat TV engine featuring an Abarth induction system and dual Weber carburetors. It has been raced at venues all over the United States from new and was written up in a number of United States and European publications in the fifties.