
If last week’s Siata was too expensive for you, we have another entry vying for your wallet, at less than half price! Here at RM Sotheby’s is this unique 1953 Siata-Ford cabriolet, commissioned by Jimmy Mulgrew, a Ford dealer, in the early 1950s. (Was he jealous of Wacky Arnolt’s Siata sedan? Car guys get around, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility.) As the story goes, Mulgrew and his buddy Dick Irish, the famous racer, concocted a plan to send a 1951 Ford to Siata for a wholesale transformation into the cabriolet on offer. Situated on a lengthened Siata 208S frame, but retaining its Ford flathead, with aluminum coachwork by Stabilimenti Farina, this one-off was displayed at Mulgrew’s dealership after its completion in 1953. It cycled through numerous owners in later years, finally receiving a restoration in the late 1980s. After a multi-decade slumber, a new owner undertook another restoration, splitting the car among several experts across continents: the body was restored in Germany, while the mechanicals were rebuilt in California. This Siata remains registered in the Netherlands; the new owner may need to cope with importation and re-registration. For your trouble, and since it bears a mundane Ford flathead, the estimate is $225,000 to $300,000 – far less than a purebred Siata. The car will be auctioned in Monterey on August 15th. Thanks to Araknid78 – as always – for this wonderful tip!
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