1953 Siata 208 CS - Estimate: $1,400,000 - $1,800,000

 
Gooding & Company Reveals Lineup of Exotic Coachbuilt Italian  Sports Cars for Its Return to the Pebble Beach Auctions

Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, has revealed a stellar selection of custom coachbuilt Italian sports cars to headline its return to the 2021 Pebble Beach Auctions. The company will hold its signature auctions featuring some of the most prized collector cars on Friday, August 13th, and Saturday, August 14th at the 70th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Concours. 

An extremely rare exotic sports car by the famous tuning firm Siata of Torino, Italy, this 1953 Siata 208 CS, chassis CS072, presents an incredible auction opportunity for serious collectors. Based on Fiat’s innovative 8V or Otto Vu, the Siata features a two-liter V-8 engine, five-speed gearbox, and advanced chassis with a fully independent suspension. The model was designed as a dual-purpose high-performance sports car and was incredibly competitive in the popular two-liter class. It is believed that just nine of these cars were built by a small coachbuilder, Carrozzeria Balbo, in Torino. Its distinctive features include a wide front grille, pop-up headlights, lightweight alloy construction, and a minimalist two-seat interior compartment.

Delivered new in Italy, the Siata 208 CS was exported to the US in the late 1950s and was owned by several sports car enthusiasts, including notable Ferrari collector Charles Betz. This example was formerly part of the famed Rosso Bianco collection in Germany, and has since been comprehensively restored by its current owner, a connoisseur of Italian sports cars. This special Siata is elegantly finished in a striking dark blue-green shade with brown leather, and is eligible for numerous concours and driving events. In recent years, it received a class award at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® and was displayed at the Quail in 2019.

Text and image courtesy of  Gooding & Company