UPDATE 1/7/12 – The seller has removed the listing and indicated that the car is no longer available.
There are many extremely rare cars that raced in some of the world’s most historic races and then just disappeared. Many of these cars are lost to us forever, so when one resurfaces people tend to get pretty excited. Siata produced some of the best race small bore cars of the ’50s and ’60s, but few of these cars remain today, especially the ones that were actually raced. This 1956 Siata Zagato 1250 GTZ raced in several big events in 1956, including the Dolomite Rally, Monza, Giro De Sicilia, and the Millie Miglia. A few years later this car just disappeared and hadn’t been seen again until just the other day.
Looking at this shell it’s hard to believe it was ever a finely tuned racing machine, but high aspiration and shallow pockets can do this to any car. The seller has spent considerable time trying to put together the complete history of this car, but things get blurry when it made it to the States. When they discovered the car last year it was parked in Fargo, North Dakota. We aren’t sure how a rare Italian race car finds its way to the Dakotas, but perhaps someone out there knows more about this racer’s past and how it got there.
This Siata is in extremely rough shape and is going to need a lot of work just getting it running. The seller doesn’t state what is still with the car, but it’s obvious that it has been stripped down. Many of the parts have been boxed up and are included with the sale. This car is based on a Fiat 103TV with a beautifully built Zagato body, which is going to need some serious metal work. It appears someone tried to repair damage to the front, but they didn’t exactly get that fender to lineup before they welded it together. This can be fixed, but is probably best left for a professional. If the engine and drivetrain are missing it could be tough to find replacements. Once Zagato installed the body on the Fiat chassis it was shipped to Siata for the mechanicals to be installed.
This rare little Italian could be a fun project or a nightmare depending on your budget and dedication. Sadly, the seller believes this car is super valuable even in its current state of disrepair. This Zagato is located in Burlingame, California and is listed for sale here on eBay. While this car is extremely rare and has some interesting history, we doubt it’s worth the seller’s $135,000 asking price. Then again, we could be wrong and this could be a bargain for the right person. Either way, we are just happy to see another lost race car reappear. If you know anything about Siata Zagatos, please share by commenting below. This is a rare car and it would be interesting to piece together its history.
Some people are insane when they value their cars….
Am I missing something ? I couldn’t see any photos of numbers on the car or parts linking it to the paperwork of the car in 1956 ?
How much for the concrete garden gnomes?
Is the trunkload of dope, that the seller is obviously on, included with the car as well?
It has a lot of nice things going for it. Pretty, provenance and rare. I think it’s priced almost right…maybe 20% or so too high. With all the work that needs to be done, I’m guessing it’ll be $200k+ for a shop to get it back to “as raced” condition. It’s hard to tell what the real value is since this is the only Siata 1250 GTZ Zagato. Sure the 103TVs in running condition are worth about 1/4 of this asking price. I guess it’s all about what you want the car for. Are you buying it as an investment or because you love rare collectible cars?
I saw a similar Lancia with some good history sell for right at 6 figures recently.
With a 200,000 shop bill after the sale of this for the buyer it makes you wonder how much you love this car and it’s history,
Very similar lines to the Giulietta Sprint from the side and rear. Whoever buys it will have a very interesting journey getting this one back on the road. Wish it was me.
What your paying for, with this particular car’s provenance, is basically an open invitation to any historical race event that this car would qualify for.
Somer– The Lancia that you saw was B20-1010 — the Bracco car and the most important racing Lancia (except the special-bodied D series cars) of all time. It last sold for around $400k to the end client and would likely sell for at least $800k at auction. Not even comparable in value or history to this car — but the idea that it was hiding on a farm in Oklahoma and was apparently initially sold for a few hundred dollars to the original guy out there who found it. Indeed THAT is a barn find!