Fiat, 1925, 505 Coupé de Ville

Fiat "505 Coupé de Ville", 1925

The Fiat 505 model was introduced in 1919, the same year of the 501, but it offered wider dimensions and higher cubic capacity. It fulfilled the requirements of more demanding clients looking for a more accurate bodywork. It was a royal car: it is proved by historical images that the Fiat 505 was used by the English Royal Family during a journey in Rome.
The "coupé de ville" was basically a saloon body with the division between the front and rear compartment; if necessary, the driver’s compartment could be protected by a soft top.
The car shown in the museum has some specifications which will become standard in the following 507 series, as the low-pressure tyres and the front brakes.
Luciano Nicolis used to tell: "This car was sold in Milan in 1925 to a Count and was then bought in 1933 by a man living in Malavicina, in the Mantua province, who used it for his honeymoon. Then, as was typical in those days, due to economic problems, the car was cut and converted into a corn-picker, maintaining, however, all its rear part".
It entered the collection in 1972, after a scrupulous restoration to its original conditions.

Luciano Nicolis and this car appeared in the movie "Uno scandalo per bene" (internationally released as A Proper Scandal) of 1984,  directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile.

2022, Article, La Manovella Magazine, La Rivista dei Musei n.03 feb 2022