Tuesday, March 2, 2021

The lost Fiat-OSCA 1500 Bertone

It's GONE - This time we are in Italy, a beautiful country in Europe which is known for its long and legendary automotive history. Like stars in the sky, countless beautiful cars were produced by the country's renowned and talented experts. Some are still well maintained today, but some are unknown. And one of the Italian beautiful cars whose its existence is unknown is the 1959 Fiat-OSCA 1500 by Bertone.
1959 Fiat-OSCA 1500 Berlinetta by Bertone while sat on display at the Turin Auto Show 1959. (Picture from: ItaliAuto)
As it is well known that OSCA (Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili - Fratelli Maserati SpA) is an Italian racing and sports car manufacturer founded by the Maserati brothers in 1947 at San Lazzaro in Savena, Bologna, and sadly the company closed in 1967.😢 Its name is usually shortened to OSCA or Osca.
1959 Fiat-OSCA 1500 Berlinetta design clearly saw has a strong American influence on its style with a typical tail "fin". (Picture from: RuoteClassiche)
The beginning of OSCA's involvement with Fiat dates back to the late 1950s, when the Italian carmaker was looking for a reliable and brilliant partner to equip its newest convertible to compete with the rival's talented and highly respected spider called Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
1959 Fiat-OSCA 1500 Berlinetta is designed by the legendary automotive designer, Franco Scaglione while he worked for the Bertone. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)
Then the Italian automaker decided to collaborate with OSCA and the result was the OSCA 1500 Spider powered by a four-cylinder dual-axle drivetrain, which would later manufacture by Fiat under license. It was like a gift that would bring some subsidies to the Maserati brothers' company which at that time had always been lack of money and fortune as their long careers in the world's automotive.

When launched for the first time and exhibited in the Turin Motor Show 1958, the Fiat-OSCA 1500 Spider was accompanied by the Fiat-OSCA 1500 GT, a coupe-shaped prototype designed by Pinin Farina that was no less beautiful.
1960 Fiat-OSCA 1500 Spider is intended to build as the rival for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. (Picture from: BresciaCar)
A year later in the 1959, amidst the busy schedule of the company, in presenting several 1500 convertible versions, they also gave Bertone, another renowned Italian coachbuilder opportunity to present the Fiat-OSCA 1500 Berlinetta. The car was known as the creation of the legendary automotive designer, Franco Scaglione with the appearance looked like a typical American muscle car.

Indeed, overall of the car design clearly saw  has a strong American influence on its style, that's a commonplace was not felt only in the auto industry, but in all sectors of production at that time. As it is known that in the late fifties the automotive tastes of the Americans were specifically marked by a tail "fin" and later this was nicely adopted by the talented designer of those Italian coachbuilder to this Fiat-OSCA 1500 figure.
1958 Fiat-OSCA 1500 GT, a coupe-shaped prototype designed by Pinin Farin. (Picture from: AutoVerCity)
The Bertone's Fiat-OSCA 1500 was presented for the first time at the Turin Motor Show 1959. The car showed the trends of its time, with its fashionable side-cuts coupled with a sleek and thin profiles, with an overall style of the two seater berlinetta reminiscent of neat fusion between the typical Italian and American designs. Video below was not about the Fiat-OSCA 1500 Bertone but the Fiat-OSCA 1500 Spider.
But unfortunately, after the event, the gorgeous car was never put into the production line of the Italian company and its whereabouts are tragically unknown to anyone, as if it just disappeared (gone with the wind), even the photos or pictures that existed and circulated in cyberspace are also not many.😭 Its fate is similar to the 1966 Titania Veltro GTT 1500 Coupe (Intermecanicca), known also as the other Franco Scaglione's beautiful car creations. Or wanna see the last OSCA race car.😒

And if the article above is still considered inadequate or inaccurate, or if you have additional information related to this marque, please don't hesitate to let us know via the comments column below this article. *** [EKA [02032021] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | WIKIWAND | RUOTECLASSICHE | ITALIAUTO | ALLCARINDEX | ARCHIOPROTOTIPO | COACHBUILD | CARSTYLING.RU | MOTORLEGEND | CLASSICCARCATALOGUE ]
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