Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1980 Fiat Strada

Owned by Pintopower on Flickr. Very rare with a factory sunroof. Thanks Alberto for letting me have a look inside your Strada. :)

College Cars: 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Aerodinamica

This is College Cars, another look into the automobile collection of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Today we're looking at a 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Aerodinamica.

This magnificent machine was developed to race at Le Mans. Well, it appears that this exact one wasn't, but it's a rebody to match the one or two original Aerodinamica coupes built on the 6C 2500 chassis - the latter of which was rare enough in the first place at only 33 examples built. All were created for the purpose of racing, and the original Aerodynamica(s) appear to have been vanished after 1940. This is one of a precious few cars of this type left, and it is really one of a kind. The only other vehicle like it that I know of is an almost identical grey 1942 car that participated in the 2013 California Mille road rally. My few photos do not really do this beast justice.
This rare Alfa was purchased by AAU at the 2010 Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction for $748,000.

The Valet Stand: Ferrari 456M GT

Welcome to The Valet Stand, where we look at some of the best cars I've found parked in front of the lobby at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. Today's feature is a Ferrari 456M GT, photographed in late winter 2011.

The 456 was a family car among Ferraris, a 4-seat grand tourer with a V12 in the front. The 456 enjoyed a long production run from 1992 to 2003. I've always seen it as a more relaxed Ferrari, available with either a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Yes, a Ferrari available with a full automatic transmission. And that same Ferrari could do 188 mph so quit whining. Think about the fact that this was the last Ferrari ever to use pop-up headlights, a feature no longer available on anything. This is a 456M, the post-1998 refresh of the 456 line. Despite being made for another five years, only 1,338 456Ms were built, of which 688 were manual GTs and another 650 were automatic GTAs.

Cobra Lite: Ford V8-Swapped 1966 Ghia Fiat 1500GT

For possibly less than the price of building a crappy replica of a Shelby Cobra 427S/C with no provenance and no weather protection or turning a Datsun Z-car into a Chevy V8-powered wannabe Ferrari 250GTO, you can have a real Italian exotic car with full weather protection, provision for effective air conditioning via bulkhead-mounted or "short pack"Vintage Air climate controls, American small-block V8 power and styling remarkably similar to that of a Cobra with a fastback (or the related AC Aceca), many parts available (stocked or special-order) from Bayless Fiat, C. Obert & Co. (Fiat Plus) and Re-Originals, and all the hard work has been done by the seller as far as the bodywork and conversion to a Ford 289 small-block, C4 automatic (can and should be swapped for a 4- or 5-speed manual) and 8-inch Ford rear axle go, but it needs some trim, all interior, all engine details, and general finishing work to finish.

Find it here in Denver, Colorado with no price listed.

Side Street Spot: Fiat 124 Sport Spider

The Fiat 124 Spider was a popular import car in the US during the 1970s, so popular that Pininfarina carried on full production to the end of the Malaise Era and distributed them through Malcolm Bricklin's networks. This one is in pretty sad condition, sits alongside an industrial side street unnoticed by most people, and being a small-bumper car, is a good project candidate.

Dealership Photo Shoot: 1997 Ferrari F355 Spider

Photographed at Specialty Sales in Pleasanton, CA.

College Cars: 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina

This is College Cars, a recurring feature on the vehicles of the Academy of Art University collection. Today is April Fool's Day, so let's look at something that's silly and tiny like a clown car. This is a 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina Transformabile semi-convertible.

Autobianchi was a joint effort by bicycle manufacturer Bianchi, carmaker Fiat and tire company Pirelli to build small cars based on Fiat architecture. Bianchi actually made cars before World War II, but was hindered badly when their old factory was destroyed by wartime bombing and company founder Edoardo Bianchi was killed in a car accident. This partnership allowed the company to return to carmaking on a limited basis. The Bianchina was Autobianchi's first model, based on the Fiat 500 but kitted up with a stylish new body and more luxurious features. Among these were a semi-convertible canvas roof insert that slid back on a track to let the sunshine in. This model, called the Transformabile, was the only way customers could have a Bianchina until 1960 when the line was expanded to include other models.
This car was purchased by the Academy of Art University in 2011 and fetched a surprising $82,500.

Never This Nice: 1960 Fiat 1100

Most Fiat 1100s in the US are extensive projects, parts cars or scrap metal, but here is a very nice example in daily-driver condition (needs minor bodywork on doors and trunk to be a show car), has rebuilt engine and new interior, but taking the average 1100 project to this level or higher would cost much more than the $8000 or best offer the seller is charging.

Find it here, near Los Angeles, for $8000 or best offer

1966 Land Speed Racer Project

This one-off land speed racer is a definite project, and has a later engine than the date of build (appears to have a Fiat 1800cc Lampredi twincam connected to an unknown transmission), details are scanty, but a period pic is provided, all parts are present other than the driveshaft (but some are not shown), and the seller says it won trophies. Finding this car's history would be interesting.

Find it here for $5000 or best offer/possible trade, in Riverside, California

Early 60s Fiat 2100 Station Wagon Project

This Fiat 2100 station wagon needs a complete restoration, has some rust and body damage, is largely complete, but it does not come with the vintage Oregon plates seen on it and it is being sold on a lost-title form and bill of sale.

This is an ambitious project, or use it as a parts car for another 2100.

Find it here for $750 south of Portland, Oregon

Piaggio Ape: The Tiny Truck That Put The World's Working Men on Wheels

(all pictures from Wikimedia Commons)

Let's reflect on the years immediately after World War II. While the US and British Commonwealth had their own domestic or locally-assembled light trucks along with countless surplus US military Jeeps, much of the rest of the world relied on horse and wagon or pushcart to conduct business on the ravaged streets of the European continent and the then largely nonmotorized areas of sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Former aircraft manufacturer turned motorcycle maker Piaggio, of Pontadera, Italy, came up with the idea of adding a two-wheeled rear axle, extended chassis and wooden cargo bed to their popular Vespa motorscooter for use in commerce as well as in the postwar reconstruction of Italy.

An immaculately restored Ape A

The vehicle, launched in 1947 and initially called the Piaggio TriVespa but later dubbed Piaggio Ape (pronounced ah-pay and Italian for honeybee, Vespa means wasp and a bee-related name was only natural), was very popular, and updates arrived quickly.

By 1952, the Ape B boasted a 150cc engine, pressed steel cargo bed, and cable-operated gearchange. Styling changed negligibly until the completely new Ape C arrived four years later.

Piaggio Ape C on display in a US shopping mall car-show exhibit

The 1956 Piaggio Ape C boasted such luxuries as an optional enclosed cab with a full frontal cowling standard, it had a full-width driver's seat allowing room for a passenger, and the 150cc 2-stroke single with optional electric starter was located under the driver's seat. The virtually identical Ape D, sold concurrently for three years, arrived in 1964 with a 175cc two-stroke single, a heated cab on closed models and a front fender-mounted headlamp; it was updated further into the Ape MP (Motore Posteriore, meaning rear-engine), with a rear-mounted engine for reasons of comfort and weight distribution, and a version called the Pentaro, basically a cab and chassis Ape fitted with a semi-trailer, was available from 1960 to 1968.

"Wedge" Ape MP

All rear-engined Apes were restyled to the then-popular "wedge" look in 1981, with the standard model "TM" featuring a 218cc petrol or 422cc diesel engine and choice of a steering wheel or handlebars for the first time. By the 1990s, styling on all models was refreshed a bit, a 49.8cc model was available under "voiturette" policy in France for those without driving licenses or for those desiring a low-speed vehicle elsewhere, four-wheel versions were available, and 49.8cc vans could be had.

Ape Calessino on the floor at the Milan Motorcycle Show

In 2006, Piaggio introduced the retro Ape Classic, bringing the look of the 1960s' Ape C and D back along with production in India and a 422cc Lombardini diesel engine on Indian-built Apes. The luxurious and colorful Calessino autorickshaw concept car shown at the 2007 Milan Motorcycle Show proves that the Ape can be fun as well as practical, and shows the retro style of the Ape Classic very nicely.

 At some point, Bajaj, Mahindra & Mahindra, and several other companies in Third World countries copied the design of the mid-engine and early rear-engine Ape for use as the "Tuk-Tuk" autorickshaw used as public transit in the Third World, while also making Ape copies in truck and van form for workmen. These are nearly as familiar to the world at large as the Philippines' Jeepneys, and now Tuk-Tuks are made in the USA and exported globally.