Description

Chassis No. CS 071
Engine No. CS 052

Siata and the “Otto Vu”

Some unremarkable cars pass from generation to generation tenderly, as sentimental family heirlooms. Some truly incredible vehicles change hands seemingly every few years. Then there are the unicorns — those cars that are remarkable and held in a place of high esteem within a single family for decades. Names may be exchanged, discussions are held, and offers are made, but that special member of the family always returns home where it's most understood and appreciated. It wasn't always this way for the Eisenstark's Siata, a car found sitting on a Queens, New York used car lot in 1959. Just how did it make its way from Turinese artisans in 1953 to catch the eye of Dr. Julius Eisenstark who was on his way to place an order for a new Renault Caravelle just six years later? Let's not get ahead of ourselves…

For those unfamiliar, Siata (Società Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori) was founded in Turin in 1926, focused on producing accessory and tuning parts, later gaining popularity for their collaborations with Fiat, creating special editions and tuning kits for various models. Ever the scrappy company, Siata came into its own after World War II manufacturing a small 48 cc engine, dubbed the “Cucciolo” or Little Puppy, that could be mounted on a bicycle near the crankshaft creating a rudimentary motorcycle. Especially popular throughout Italy, the profits allowed the company to begin producing their own automobiles — featherweight sports cars of their own design renowned for their elegance, performance, and innovative engineering, earning the company a dedicated following.
Around the same time, Fiat conceived a plan to build a sedan for the American market. With the understanding that a 569 cc four-cylinder Topolino would not sell well in the United States, they settled on creating an all-new, 2.0-liter V8 engine with assistance from Siata. Unfortunately for Fiat, the sedan design wasn't well received but knowing the new, all-aluminum engine had potential, they placed it in their new 8V “Otto Vu” sports car. While very competitive, the 8V sold slowly in a post-war economy and, in a stroke of fortune, Fiat offered Siata approximately 50 of these excess 8V engines to power cars of their own design.

With a powerplant in hand, Siata went to work crafting specifications for their new 208S (Spider) and 208CS (Coupe). Technically advanced for its time, the 208 featured tubular ladder chassis construction with independent suspension all around. The 8V engine, with a dollop of Siata intake, camshaft, and carburetor tuning, produced around 125 horsepower put to the rear wheels through a five-speed transmission. Working with some of Italy's finest coachbuilders, Siata offered a 208S barchetta with hand-formed aluminum bodies from Michelotti and Carrozzeria Motto and the 208CS berlinetta with bodies first from Stabilimenti Farina and later from Carrozzeria Balbo. Both versions of the 208, by either coachbuilder, are a product of their era and method of construction and that is to say — achingly beautiful. During production, approximately 53 208 Siatas were sold, with just 18 of these produced as 208CS Berlinetta coupes. A mere eleven were bodied by Carrozzeria Balbo.
Siata 208CS Chassis Number CS 071

1953 - 1959

Even as a small, specialty manufacturer Siata had assembled an impressive dealer network in the United States. Ernie McAfee, John Edgar, and Pavia & Co all sold Siatas in the early 1950s along with Fergus Motors run by Tony Pompeo based at 444 West 55th Street in New York, just a few blocks southwest of Columbus Circle in the city. Research by the Eisenstark family reveals that 208CS chassis number CS 071 was imported by Pompeo who, due to the low sales volumes of such specialty cars also retailed Bandini, Stanguellini, Abarth, Cisitalia, and an occasional Alfa Romeo and Maserati. It is said that the well-liked Pompeo, with few exceptions, exclusively imported competition cars. Bridgehampton founder Bruce Stevenson is quoted as saying that Pompeo, “couldn't drive worth beans” so he had others race the cars he imported and that's just what Robert Grier did as the first owner of 071. Often paired with legendary racer René Dreyfus, Grier likely entered 071 in the Floyd Bennett Grand Prize Cup, a 100-lap race around the US Naval Air Station located at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field on 29 August 1953. Finishing 18th out of 43 competitors that day, Grier later raced the car at the Keene Mountain Hill Climb in Upstate New York located about 15 miles from Lake Placid. According to the Eisenstarks, ownership transferred to Russell G. Sceli, another northeast racer of the period. Later, it is said that Alan R. Jones obtained his SCCA competition license in CS 071 before going on to drive a Porsche 356 Carrera in 1959 and 1960. With that, the competition career of this coachbuilt Siata coupe came to a close, but of course, as one door closes for a special car like this, another quickly opens.

1959 - 2017

Long the admirer of the interesting and unusual, Dr. Julius Eisenstark held a special affinity for European sports cars. At a time when most of his neighbors were impressed by the largesse and amenities of Detroit Iron, Eisenstark was a member of the local sports car club. After briefly owning a Mercedes 300 SL “Gullwing” coupe for a grand total of three days, he headed to place an order for, of all vehicles, a new Renault Caravelle at Tri-Color Motors, when he spotted CS 071, painted red sitting on the lot of a Queens used car lot. The doctor's son, and current owner, Walter Eisenstark recounts in Hemmings that it was “Love at first sight,” with his father quickly purchasing the car the next day and bringing it home on 12 September 1959. The younger Eisenstark recalls that it had been treated like the competition special it is, being driven hard on the track. With that, Eisenstark began a multi-year evolution of his new Siata from a bare-bones race car designed to be driven at ten-tenths to something closer to a slightly more civil GT more appropriate for an evening out on the town. Interior upholstery was added, and a heater with defrost and additional engine cooling was installed for the rare 8V engine. Another coat of Italy's national racing color was applied and when the 2.0-liter threw a rod in 1966, the engine was rebuilt. In fact, the younger Eisenstark explains that his father was more interested in the mechanical aspects of his Siata than the cosmetic, although, of course, the car was exhibited and shown, most notably at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1990 with it having passed to Walter Eisenstark by that point. In a bit of Hollywood intrigue, the car was selected to appear in an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee driven by well-known automotive aficionado Jerry Seinfeld with Steve Martin in the passenger seat.

2017 - Present

By the summer of 2017, motoring plans were in the front of mind and the Siata was sent to Automotive Restorations Inc. of Stratford, Connecticut for a service. During a test drive, a distracted driver impacted the stationary Siata. Amazingly no one was hurt, but 071 was damaged, likely for the first time in 64 years. Plans were quickly formed to not only repair the Siata but to return it to show level condition in the colors with which it left Turin.

Naturally, the Siata was subject to a well-documented repair of its original aluminum body and full restoration, for which a 35 page file is available for review. It was thoroughly analyzed before disassembly, in fact, another 208CS was located and brought in to verify measurements. With the suspension points noted to be unaltered, the right rear corner of the car that suffered damage was scanned to create a ribbed body buck to accurately recreate the original aluminum curves that so define the small-batch, hand-built Italian sports cars of the era. While the localized body repairs were progressing, the original matching-numbers Fiat 8V engine was again rebuilt. The original medium blue was discovered and later color matched to the sample. By autumn the decision was made to enter the car — only partially restored — into the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance held in early March. With panels and components test-fit in advance of it being in paint, by February of 2018 the restoration team had a single month to go before Amelia. Paint fully cured, the interior received a trimming in very much the same manner as the doctor made in the early 1960s, and with all exterior components including the repaired and restored grille, lighting, glass, and trim reinstalled, the Siata proudly made its debut at Amelia resplendent in its original shade of blue not seen since the 1950s. The judging teams clearly agreed with the importance of the car and the quality of the restoration as it captured Best in Class – Sports and GT Cars (1951-1956).

Since its restoration, the Eisenstarks haven't shied away from driving their little Italian jewel. After all, that's what it was built for with Eisenstark noting in Hemmings that, “it doesn't like to be driven slowly or conservatively. It needs to be driven with somewhat of an aggressive attitude. Once you get moving, you can't sit back and relax when you drive the car.” Sage advice, especially from someone who has been around the car from a young age and its caretaker since the late 1980s. In 2022 this special Siata returned to Pebble Beach for the first time in 31 years to be shown in a special Otto Vu class at the Concours d'Elegance and was also driven in the Tour d'Elegance. Today, just six years after its restoration, this rare example of coachbuilt Italian craftsmanship is available outside the Eisenstark family for the first time in 64 years. As such, it represents a unique opportunity to not only acquire one of the finest Siata 208s, but an example restored to the highest show-winning levels that one would expect of a cherished member of the family.

Addendum & Administrative Notes

Please note that this lot is titled as Model Year 1954