Fiat 1100-103 TV Charmant Coupé by Vignale
Only 12 examples of the Fiat 1100-103 with a racy coupé body were created at the design house Vignale. Giovanni Michelotti designed it with the beautiful epithet ‘Charmant’. The technical basis was created as early as 1937, when the Fiat 1100 debuted, which continued to run as the 1100E after World War 2. In 1953, the Italian brand presented the significantly improved 1100-103 at the Paris Motor Show. This car was also available as a more powerful TV version (Turismo Veloce) with then an impressive 50 hp. Fiat itself offered a station wagon (Familiare) and a convertible (Transformabile) next to the four-door sedan. In addition, the 1100-103 was produced under license by brands such as Steyr-Fiat (Austria), NSU-Fiat (Germany) and Premier (India).
One of 12 Charmant Coupés by Vignale
Next to the factory bodies, customers with bigger wallets had the option of purchasing a bare chassis and sending it to a coachbuilder of their choice. Back in 2019, we reported here on a Fiat 1100-103 Derby Cabriolet from Bertone. At least 12 other chassis went to Vignale. One of them bears the number 103.049126 and can be admired in our picture gallery. The first owner, from April 28, 1954, was Luisa Gaetano, a wealthy lawyer from Messina in Sicily. In addition to the pure TV version, she also ordered a tuning kit from the factory. This consisted of an Abarth intake manifold, a Nardi exhaust manifold, two Zenith twin carburetors, a modified oil pan and a more powerful ignition system. Furthermore, the car received Borrani spoke wheels, a Nardi steering wheel and a car radio from Autovox.
Parked in a garage for nearly 60 years
Mrs. Gaetano didn’t like the attention that her little Fiat generated. So she soon put it in a garage in Palermo and bought a Mercedes sedan for everyday use. In order to store the Charmant Coupé in the best possible way, the fluids were drained and the wheels were removed. Jacked up, the car survived the following decades. Only after Luisa Gaetano’s death did the surviving family contact the Fiat expert Daniele Spataro. He took the car out of the garage with an indicated mileage of only 6,012 kilometers.
On offer at Bonhams in Arizona
In fact, the subsequent disassembly revealed most components to be in the best possible condition after all those years. Surfaces could be preserved by cleaning, polishing and new clear coat. In addition, the original logbooks and tool kit were found in the trunk. The auction house Bonhams offers this Fiat 1100-103 TV Charmant Coupé on January 21 in Arizona. The expected hammer price is between US$ 175,000 and US$ 225,000.
Images: Bonhams
