Only a few short years after fire ravaged the original Coventry facility, this Jaguar assembly line has shown how quickly the romance of the immediate post-war era gave way to the automation and sterility that sure makes these factory shots less interesting today.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the efficiencies of the line, but there’s something about the old repurposed facilities as a makeshift factory that feels so much more right. The earlier factories we’ve shown felt much more like a group of craftsmen coming together to create something—these look like a bunch of unhappy cogs meaninglessly turning bolts. I’m exaggerating of course, but look at this earlier shot of D-Types being built and tell me which facility you’d rather work in.
Siata. Twenty-five years of skillful craftsmanship, elegance, and speed with safety. The Siata 1400 GRAND SPORT, sketched above by Farina, is available in a 96-inch wheelbase powered with the “Siata-Fiat 1400 cc” engine and weighing 1650 pounds. The 1390 cc engine develops 65 hp at 5000 rpm. Watch the performance of this car today.
Siata is ready to supply a smaller body and chassis, in this country, without an engine. This automobile is ready for you to install your own Crosley 27 hp engine in it.
Other fine automobiles, pictured below, are available through Siata’s United States distributor.
The Siata engineers have developed a rugged yet light frame, as seen in these pictures of a Diana chassis with the famous Siata-Fiat 1400 cc, 4 cylinder engine with a bore and stroke of 3.22 x 2.59 inches, while the rear is a 3/8 inch narrower. Its fuel tank holds over 14 1/2 gallons. The coupe and convertible models have a five-speed transmission (this fifth speed is overdrive), while the sports model is furnished with a four-speed transmission. Diana Coupe. Diana Convert. Siata 750. Siata Rally. Siata Competition. Siata. Tony Pompeo, Fergus Motors, 444 West 55 Street, New York
Via Cliff’s updated and expanded Siata page at Etceterini.
Google shows that this address is the current location of Hutter Auction Galleries, and the building sure looks less glamorous than it must have with Siatas pulling in and out of the showroom. Take a look.
Throwing a 993 engine in a longhood 911 chassis sounds like a very, very good idea. The 1993—1998 version of the 911 represented the swan song of the air-cooled flat-6; and what a marvelous song it is. Many Porsche purists consider it the last real 911 before Porsche abandoned the air-cooled platform for the liquid cooled engine that has powered subsequent 911s. It’s a remarkable engine, and a remarkable car—one Porsche reseller told me that he could make a business of just brokering 993s and that their demand hasn’t diminished in the 12 years since the last one was built.
Even though Porsche was at the peak of the air-cooled 911 engineering curve, the 911 had been hamstrung by a design compromise made three decades earlier. When the 1974 911 was released, the newly required impact bumpers created an odd rubbery front end. The flexible bits necessitated shortening the hood by a few inches, forever dubbing pre-’74 cars “longhoods”. Ever since, there has been a cottage industry of backdating cars: taking a later model 911 and modifying the body panels and trim to make it look like a pre ’74 car—usually an RS or RSR.
Enter Singer Vehicle Design. Rather than taking a salvaged pre-’74 chassis and dropping in a 993 engine, they’ve started with the much less desirable ’87-’89 3.2 liter chassis. This is an example of the versatility of the 911’s lineage. That a 1987 chassis with a 1998 engine can look like a 1972 car. The consistency of construction and timelessness of the 911 makes it virtually the only car that can undergo such apparent time-shifting.
The Singer Design build is compelling for a number of reasons, and seems to combine the best of both worlds of classic design and modern(ish) power. I think it does so fairly successfully. There’s a lot I like about it, the lifting duck-tail is a great compromise between the classic ducktail and the later-model fin. The Raydot style mirror is a lovely race-y touch that evokes the competitive spirit of the marque, as does the center-hood fuel filler cap. The side mounted oil filler is a great throwback to the ’72-only location.
The vintage style interior is fantastic, from the grommeted seats to the Momo Monza wheel. Why they chose that odd silhouetted screaming face as a ghosted background for the tachometer in an otherwise perfectly executed gauge cluster remains a mystery.
I don’t know pricing, but it’s certainly a remarkable looking machine, and a great way to have the best of Porsche’s various 911 models. More information on Singer’s site.
Update: Hank hipped us to this video of the Singer team walking Adam Carolla through an example. Thanks Hank!
