Rare Car Archive

Makes › Fiat Italy › 1100 › 1100 E Coupé (Vignale) · Coachbuilt · 1953 Ultra Rare

Fiat
1100 E Coupé (Vignale)

Michelotti-styled Vignale coupé on the 1100/103 chassis.

Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.

Body: Vignale
IDENTIFICATION CARD · FIAT 1100 E COUPÉ (VIGNALE) 1953
No licensed photograph yet. Photographs are published only when their licence permits it.
15BuiltRegistry reported
0Chassis documentedin this archive
?SurvivingNot yet verified
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
15 Built
Years
1953
Engine
1,089 cc / 1.1 LFactory: 1,089 cc
Power
37.3 kW / 50.7 PSFactory: 50 hp · converted
Top speed
Not yet verified
Designer
Giovanni Michelotti
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
Not yet verified

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

A Michelotti-designed coupe that Carrozzeria Vignale unveiled at the 1953 Turin show on Fiat 1100 mechanics. Its upright central grille and deeply recessed headlamps set it apart from the saloon, and the surviving car became a regular concours entrant in the United States.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityUltra Rare 15 · Built1,2
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed
Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model production1100 Coupé Vignale built 151,2 Factory production Registry reported

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Chassis 024545 was first shown at the 1953 Turin show. By 1954 it belonged to an owner in California, appeared at the Pebble Beach concours in 1955 and was featured in Motor Life in July 1956. It was left at a repair shop in 1967 after an engine fault and stayed there for years.

A restoration finished in 2015 and the car returned to Pebble Beach in 2016, then won its class at Amelia Island in 2017. Gooding sold it there in 2018 for 418,000 USD.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard 1100 E Coupé (Vignale).

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeNot yet verified
LayoutNot yet verified
Displacement 1,089 cc / 1.1 LFactory: 1,089 cc3 Independently researchedAuction description of chassis 024545.
BoreNot yet verified
StrokeNot yet verified
Compression ratioNot yet verified
ValvetrainOHV3 Independently researched
Fuel systemTwin Solex 30-32 BI carburettors3 Independently researched
Power 37.3 kW / 50.7 PSFactory: 50 hp · converted3 Independently researchedSource states bhp.
Power at 5,400 rpm3 Independently researched
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxNot yet verified
Gears43 Independently researched
Driven wheelsNot yet verified

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisNot yet verified
Front suspensionIndependent with coil springs3 Independently researched
Rear suspensionLive axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs3 Independently researched
Brakes4-wheel Nardi-modified drum3 Independently researched
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionNot yet verified
WheelbaseNot yet verified
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear trackNot yet verified
Kerb weightNot yet verified
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speedNot yet verified
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tankNot yet verified

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The known surviving car carries chassis number 024545 and engine number 025389. Gooding describes it as one of only two such coupes built, so any other claimed example should be checked against that statement.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    The Fiat 1100E Coupé Vignale designed by Giovanni Michelotti Level B carrozzieri-italiani.com
    • Units built 15
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  2. 2
  3. 3
    1953 Fiat 1100 Coupe by Vignale, lot 59 (Amelia Island 2018) Level C Gooding & Company
    • 1,089 CC OHV Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
    • Twin Solex 30-32 BI Carburetors
    • 50 BHP at 5,400 RPM
    • 4-Speed Manual Gearbox
    • Front Independent Suspension with Coil Springs
    • Rear Live Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
    • 4-Wheel Nardi-Modified Drum Brakes
    Accessed 2026-11-12

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