Siata SC 006 (a “Sport Corsa”**) of 1948 Information compiled and presented by John de Boer. Any input welcomed at [email protected] ** First off, Renato Ambrosini, son of the builder and winner of the 1948 Italian Sport 750 championship in the first example built, did not remember if “SC” represented “Sport Corsa” or “Sport da Competizione” when I spoke with him during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Either way, the meaning is essentially the same. The distinctive badge locations and other minor details tell us that this is chassis SC006. This car seems to be one of eight tubular truss-structure “SC” chassis that were numbered by Siata. Some descriptive accounts call the car a “TC”, perhaps promoting a new engine that failed to fulfill hopes at Siata? We know that SC001 was used by Renato Ambrosini to win the Italian Sport 750 championship of 1948. I strongly suspect he used SC002 as well? His success was used to help promote the “Supertesta Tipo B” Siata cylinder head that was designed to be used on Fiat 500 engine blocks. The highest chassis number known is SC008. It is possible there were a few additional SC cars made with higher numbers, but certainly not many! It seems that three cars were bodied similarly in spider siluro form by Motto. SC006 is seemingly the third and last such siluro by Motto. Chassis SC001 and chassis SC002 were very similar but each has unique badge locations, so we can tell “which was which” in historical photographs. Due to changes in the “Sport Internazionale” rules, SC002 and SC006 were given similar new fenders for the 1952 racing season, so they continued to resemble each other while SC001 remained in its 1948 form. May 1948, chassis SC 001 This photo is copyrighted by Pubblifoto. SC002 was also used 1948 by Renato Ambrosini in cycle-fendered form. This is the 1952 Targa Florio, also known as the “Giro di Sicilia” this year ,,, but not every year. Due to rules changes for 1952, chassis SC002 has received fenders rather similar to those on SC006. This photo is copyrighted by the Klementaski Collection. September 1948 and the Salone Internazionale dell’Automobile – Torino Four special cars were displayed by Siata. Front and center is the Bersagliera, a mid-engined 750cc twin-cam racing sports car, seemingly with seating for three little people? Was this special chassis numbered SC003 or SC007? Perhaps it was not numbered at all? It may be that the light-colored car showing only a bit of its nose was numbered SC007? I do not know anything specific of SC003 or SC007 but I suspect that SC007 and SC008 were also on the Siata stand with SC006 at Torino during September of 1948. In addition to the Bersagliera, two special cars were displayed with very different bodies, also by Motto. It seems possible that the Bersagliera, seen also at the 1948 show, carried one of the missing SC chassis numbers even though it was a very different chassis and engine configuration? If SC008 was displayed (perhaps with the “Orchidea” (a.k.a. “Berlinetta Mille Miglia”) body fitted, the chassis became bodied again. SC008 appeared in Italy less than two years later in a different form while the car I suspect was SC007 came to the USA during 1951 and was raced until it was seemingly destroyed during the late 1950's. We can hope that it merely disappeared and may turn up one day! SC004 and SC005 were each given a distinctive body shape by Zagato and each seems to exist today. I will share another descriptive document that will describe what we know about the entire SC series and photos will be shared there. Briefly, I was told by the owner that SC005 was stolen some thirty years ago. I saw it in Torino prior to the theft and really wish I had taken some photos! I thought I had done so? Maybe I had no film at the time? Regardless, I thought I'd see it again. As I recall, it had a Fiat 600 engine fitted at the time I saw it. Moving on to SC006, owned by father since 2013 and studied since then rather inadequately by myself! I did not know a lot when I suggested that my father make an offer on SC006 some six years ago. Once we got it home and looked it over carefully and compared it to the photos we had of similar cars, it became clear that the car was first seen September 1948 at the Turin Auto Show. It became clear that the car had raced 1949 to 1952 with Mario Paesetti. Studying this car allowed me to identify which car did what. I found I had original negatives! Bertazzini foto I purchased a small collection of negatives in Italy during 1987. The collection included the images seen above and below. Important visual “fingerprints” for the car are in the badge and script locations, different on each of the three cars made. This is Mario Paesetti in SC006 at the Aosta – Gran San Bernardo hillclimb of August 1949. foto Bertazzini The Aosta - Gran San Bernardo images shared above were the earliest Mario Paesetti in-the-car images I had for quite some time even as I recorded references to him racing at earlier events, beginning with a 2nd in class finish on the Mille Miglia of 1949. I visited Dino Brunori during December 2015. The son of Arturo Trevisan had passed some scrapbook scans to him and he shared them with me. Among many clippings and photos that answered many other questions, there was a nice image of Trevisan in a Nardi-Danese-BMW with SC006 gridded behind him during July 1949. Early this year, thanks to a heads-up from Corrado Bellabarba, I found two images of the car on the Stella Alpina from early August 1949. The hood is off and we can see some firewall detail. The images I have are small but cleaner than this. They will not paste into this document cleanly. I will attempt to get better versions from the source. Thanks to Nicolo Caffarena for this image (and another) of SC006 at the Pontedecimo-Giovi, September 1949 Mario Paesetti finished 7th in the Italian Sport 750 Championship for 1949 in his “Fiat” (Fiat-Siata) 3 April 1950 and the Targa Florio = Giro di Sicilia … from Targapedia 23 April 1950 = Mille Miglia, #245 SC006 with Mario Paesetti and Carlo Lana. Foto Sorlini, copyright Giorgio Nada 4 June 1950 = Coppa della Toscana foto Locchi copyright 28 April 1951 = Mille Miglia, #020 “Fiat 750” with Paesetti & Lana foto Sorlini, copyright Giorgio Nada 4 May 1952 = Mille Miglia, SC006 has new fenders to meet new rules. Foto Locchi copyright June 1952 – Coppa della Toscana foto Locchi copyright foto from Paolo Bellinazzi … Grazie! 2 May 1954 = Mille Miglia, Paolo Bellotti with Leonardelli The MM entry form finally says “Siata 750” and reports the chassis & engine numbers “SC006” 30 April 1955 = Mille Miglia, Franco Romei & Bruno Brunacci with Franco’s “Fiat Siata”, SC006 The racing history identified thus far shows Mario Paesetti racing at least 23 events from 1949 to August 1952. There may well be more? The next owner, Paolo Bellotti, used it at least twice and the third owner, Francesco Romei, used it once … so far. We are at 26 events from 1949 to 1955 for the car … and counting … I have gathered many photos not shared here and there are several events for which I have only descriptive information, entry lists and/or results. There is much more to find and learn! SC006 was sold 1956 to Luigi Sartori in Venice and was seemingly raced no more. It was then sold December 1958 to Lt. Stewart L. Swihart, presumed to have been a U.S. serviceman stationed in Napoli. The original engine for SC006 (also numbered SC 006) came to the USA with the car. The engine was damaged seemingly beyond repair around 1960 or so. It was left with the mechanic who fitted the Fiat 500 engine in use currently. He also did the adaptation of the SIATA manifolds and Weber 28DR carburetors to this engine, numbered Fiat 500B*283745*, actually a 500C engine. I've not yet been able to locate the mechanic. In any case, the original engine had been prepared by Siata with a third main added in the middle and what was described as a Hirth-style crankshaft and some sort of roller bearing configuration. I do not know if it was only the center main that had the roller-bearing. I've been hoping to find the remains of the original engine so that we would know precisely what to do to build an engine like the original. In the meantime, it is a fun driver as it is. I have a friend in Italy who has a correct style Siata cylinder head that he would sell to me reluctantly. He has not given me a price. I have seen other similar Siata cylinder heads in the past so I am certain we can get one. 7 September 2019, Grass Valley, California Interested in this Mille Miglia “entry ticket”? Or … Wanna just talk SIATA? Or Abarth or Moretti? Please call John de Boer at (001) 925/457-5283 or email: [email protected] .