Every year, one of the largest swap meets in the world convenes in Italy, specifically Bologna after the show outgrew the confines of Padua’s fiera two years ago. Held over four days in October, Auto e Moto d’Epoca tempts motorheads from all four corners of the globe with thousands of gleaming cars and millions of parts spread through ten buildings as well as outdoor aisles. Displays by car clubs round out the presentation. Around every corner is an automobile you never knew existed, and later you may find yet more copies of the same car, perhaps attractively dressed in two-tone paint this time. The Abarth featured above was campaigned throughout Europe after its production in 1965. A member of Abarth’s bialbero-motored (twin cam) Record Monza family, but with a 982 cc four-cylinder – rather than a 750 as in the earliest of the series – and its Zagato body work refined by Sibona & Bassano (who introduced the duck tail), this little gem has never been restored. The asking price is €320,000, tipping the scales toward the “expensive” end of the barn find spectrum.

This outstanding woody, complete with vintage winter sports equipment mounted on a vintage roof rack, is a 1950 Fiat 1100 “Giardinetta” (estate) crafted by Carrozzeria Viotti and styled by Mario Revelli de Beaumont, one of the world’s first independent automobile designers. The first of its kind arrived just after the war, in 1946. A shortage of steel and a plethora of Fiat 1100s encouraged partial wood construction on the modest but endlessly customizable chassis; of course, long-standing precedent existed in America, where wood wagon bodies were affixed to Model Ts from the time the T first launched. At first, Italians eschewed the wagon, as it was reminiscent of the ambulances and hearses that were an all-too-common sight during the war. But eventually utility won out, and giardinettas of all types plied the streets.

This exquisite Lancia is one of 98 Aurelia B52s made available to a variety of coachbuilders to encourage bespoke designs meant to attract customers to the company’s more pedestrian models. This example was penned specifically by Giovanni Michelotti for Gina Lollobrigida in 1952. Vignale was the constructor. It has the same two-liter OHV six-cylinder found in Lancia’s B21, good for 70 ho in stock form. This one was restored in 2000, and received a full Nardi performance kit including camshaft and dual carbs, which provides a few extra ponies depending on the setup.

The parts array is dizzying. This fellow provided a distributor cap I was seeking, and a spare parts catalogue for a 1955 Fiat 1400 that I thought might follow me home. Alas the Fiat stayed put, but at least I am in possession of its manual – just in case the future finds me in front of some other 1400. Incidentally, the manual I bought was the best of half a dozen copies I found. Notably, one aspect of American swap meets is largely missing at this show – boxes of rusty, greasy parts. Here, everything is clean, polished, as perfect as it can be – a hallmark of Italian identity.

This instance of American-Italian confluence is the Bertone-designed Cadillac Villa concept car, based on an SRX. Introduced at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, the Villa breaks expected boundaries of auto design. Rather than a focus on the forward view out the windshield and an anonymous entrance through the door, the Villa takes an architectural approach, with sliding glass doors inviting the occupants into the “lobby” of the car. The “decor” is minimalist luxury. The Villa showcases an all-digital dash stretching the length of the cabin – all in all, a fine counterpoint to Ms. Lollobrigida’s 1952 Aurelia.