Description
The handsome design of the Innocenti C was conceived by American automotive designer Tom Tjaarda, and the car used the underpinnings of the Austin-Healey Sprite. Subsequently, Tjaarda went on to design a number of important cars, including the Ferrari 365 California, the De Tomaso Pantera, the Fiat 124 Sport Spider, and dozens of others.
Born in Pisciaia, in Tuscany, in 1891, Ferdinando Innocenti began his career by opening a hardware store in Rome. In 1920, Ferdinando set up a factory in northern Italy, in Milan, in the Lambrate district. The factory produced everything from football stands to railways, and the post-war reconstruction boom in Rome, in particular, stimulated demand.
The factories suffered during World War II, but Innocenti kept them running and productive for war needs, even in difficult periods. After the war, the factories also began producing for the automotive industry, drawing inspiration from military motorcycles. Enrico Piaggio had launched the Vespa in 1946, and Innocenti introduced its first scooter, the Lambro River by Lambretta, a year later. The scooters enjoyed enormous success and were licensed for manufacture in Spain, India, Argentina, Germany, France and Brazil.
By the late 1950s, Italy was in the throes of a new economic boom and the working class could for the first time afford its own car, such as the Fiat 500. Luigi, Ferdinando’s son, took over as vice-president of the company and began to explore opportunities for building passenger cars. A cooperative partner was first found in Germany, and a small Iseria car came to light in collaboration with Goggomobil. Production, however, remained very marginal until the early 1960s, when Innocenti concluded a cooperation agreement with the British company BMC and began producing licensed Austin and Mini Minor Innocenti.
The first in-house Innocenti model followed just a year later with the launch of the 950 Spider based on the Austin-Healey Sprite. Encouraged by Innocenti’s first sporting model, the collaboration with Ferrari also began, and two prototypes 186 GT equipped with Maranello’s V6 were completed, until Ferrari decided to bury the project in 1966.
Innocenti did not give up and developed its own small coupé model, which was unveiled later that same year. Ghia used the previous Spider as the design base, and Sergio Sartorelli, who had made a name with models like the Karmann Ghia Type 34 and the Fiat 2300 S, was entrusted with the main design responsibility. The wheelbase was lengthened and the rear of the car was completely redesigned. Particular attention was paid to the quality of interior materials, and the GT spirit was also exuded by the dashboard comprising five gauges, the oil pressure gauge taken directly from the Ferrari 250 GTE. The new Innocenti C is powered by a BMC A-series engine of 1098 cc, developing 58 hp with two SU carburettors, which is sufficient for a coupé with a kerb weight of just 695 kg.
In the spirit of the Tricolore, the car was initially produced in green, white and red, before Giallo Positano yellow later became an option. This 1968 model was sold new in Sicily, where it was the fourth car for a well-off family. All of the car’s original documentation, including the first registration certificate, manuals and service book, is still kept. The car was purchased in 2019 by T. Vilagi, who took it to Finland. The car had only 37, 000 kilometres on the clock at the time, and Vilagi has covered around a further 10, 000 over the last three summers. The car remains in extraordinary original condition. The interior is entirely original and untouched. A Cooper steering wheel has been fitted, but the original has been kept.
While Vilagi was the car’s owner, a few parking dings were repaired, the car was serviced, and the clutch and brake master cylinder were replaced. The car was repainted in Italy in its original Giallo Positano yellow and the bodywork is in very good and impressive condition.
INNOCENTI C ’1968
CHASSIS NO. 0305713
47, 000 KILOMETRES TRAVELLED
FULLY DOCUMENTED HISTORY, ALL ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING THE OWNER’S MANUAL, THE SERVICE BOOK, AND THE VERY FIRST REGISTRATION CARDS.
