Do you ever see this Ermini's barchetta?

Forgotten ONES - If we look at the figure of this beautiful classic car, at first glance, we will immediately remember the famous car brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, etc. However, if you look at the front grille, which has the 'E' emblem firmly imprinted on it, you might immediately wonder; what is the brand of this beautiful sports car? 

1948 Ermini Fiat 1100 Corsa is a two-seater barchetta bodied by Morelli. (Picture from: Supercars.net)

This is the Ermini Fiat 1100 Corsa. It is a 2-seater barchetta bodied by Morelli and manufactured in 1948. Ermini? Maybe some of us rarely know or even don't know about this Italian brand. Let's talked about it. During the years just after the Second World War, there were plenty of small sportscar manufacturers in Italy producing cars for the many road races that were organized. The most popular was the 750 and 1100 cc classes and the cars were often based on mass-produced components from Fiat.

1948 Ermini Fiat 1100 Corsa was the first car built by Pasquono Ermini for compete in various racing events. (Picture from: Pinterest)

One of the smallest of these manufacturers, often derogatorily referred to as "Etceterini" to distinguish them from the more familiar names like Ferrari and Maserati, must have been Ermini from Florence. But still, it was successful enough to be remembered today.

The brand owned by Ermini Automobili, an Italian automotive company is founded by Pasquino Ermini, a Florence engineer who learned his trade as a mechanic and driver during the 1920s and '30s with the Squadra Materassi and its Bugatti and Talbot cars. Following the war, he built his first car, a combination of a (heavily modified) Fiat 1100 chassis and an Alfa Romeo 2500 engine. With this, he competed in various events.

1948 Ermini Fiat 1100 Corsa is a combination of a (heavily modified) Fiat 1100 chassis and an Alfa Romeo 2500 engine. (Picture from: Ritzsite.nl)

He then decided to produce his own engine, choosing to enter the then-popular 1100 class. The result was a twin-cam 1094cc unit which emerged in 1947, one of the first twin-cams in that class. It immediately proved successful and was sold to many competitors, who fitted it to a variety of cars, usually either based on the 1100 or with a chassis by Gilco.

Bodies were supplied by numerous coachbuilders. Ermini began building complete cars in 1949, with his 1100 DOHC engine, the chassis by Gilco, and the bodywork by Tofani. The early 1950's saw the Ermini 1100 as the car (or engine for those who chose to fit it to different chassis') to have. Tofani was unable to meet the demand, and so Motto and Morelli were used to producing the bodies.

Rear three quarter of the 1948 Ermini Fiat 1100 Corsa. (Picture from: Pinterest)

In 1953 Ermini introduced a new engine. Still a DOHC 1100 it now had an aluminum block and five main-bearing crankshafts. Around 20 engines were built and were fitted to cars by Ermini themselves with a chassis designed by Gilco, Scaglietti, Morelli, and Frua (designed by Michelotti).

Even though it looks small, the work of this Italian automotive manufacturer still exists today. Yes, this company still continues to produce cars and engines for various purposes, especially racing needs. And its last production sports car was the Ermini 686 'Seiottosei' which was exposed to the public at the 2014 Geneva International Motor Show. *** [EKA [13092020] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ERMINI AUTOMOBILI | SUPERCARS.NET | COACHBUILD.COM | RITZSITE.NL | CARS A-Z]

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