This week we’re looking at a car that I’d loosely argue qualifies as entry level exotica. If not for the FIAT badge, it probably wouldn’t comply with our self-imposed and poorly policed £20,000 limit for the Prime Find feature. Indeed, if you were paying by the letter for its full title you’d need deep pockets; “Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili – Fratelli Maserati S.p.A.” is a mouthful even by Italian standards of verbosity but thankfully for the sake of brevity, convention approves shortening to OSCA. The convenience of the acronym omits the Maserati reference however, and the story of OSCA and how they came to be linked to FIAT starts with the Maserati brothers.
Maserati made their name in motor racing, but having built up a fearsome reputation the brothers sold their shares in their eponymous car company in 1937. Adolfo Orsi became the new owner but the brothers signed a ten year agreement to stay on and provide support. The Second World War interrupted normal business and the company was occupied with supporting the war effort until 1945. By the time peace resumed, the brothers’ ten year period of support was nearly over and in 1947, Ernesto, Ettore and Bindo Maserati were released to follow their own path.
Rather than retire to enjoy their wealth, they jumped straight back into the business of motorsport once again, founding OSCA in San Lazzaro di Savena near Bologna in 1947 for the purpose of manufacturing their own competition cars. Everything was designed in-house and compromise wasn’t on the agenda. When their first racer rolled out of their workshops, it was a pure-bred OSCA. The MT4, its name signifying “Maserati Tipo 4 cilindri”, was a striking two-seater Barchetta with bodywork by Vignale. The heart of the matter was a 1,092 cc engine with an alloy head, producing 71 bhp at 6,000 rpm and its first outing was at the 1948 Grand Prix of Naples, where it was promptly raced to victory by Luigi Villoresi. OSCA were an immediate force to be reckoned with, which came as no real surprise given its parentage. Unimpeded by having to churn out road cars, technical development was swift and constant evolution was possible as the economics and practicalities of mass production didn’t apply. The company was able to focus purely on the pursuit of speed and did so with notable success, winning the 1500cc class at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking overall victory at the 1954 12 Hours of Sebring and gaining class awards at the Mille Miglia on ten occasions. Having the likes of Stirling Moss behind the wheel helped too.
However, no business survives without cash flow and by the late 1950s OSCA needed additional funding to stay ahead of the chasing pack. It’s not unknown for firms to stray into road cars purely as a way of funding racing, with both Lotus and Ferrari being prime examples. However, what the Maserati siblings could offer instead was engineering expertise, and it happened that FIAT spotted the opportunity to productionise the MT4 twin cam racing engine for use in their sporting road cars. FIAT bought the rights to manufacture the MT4 under licence, which OSCA had already bored out to a useful capacity of 1,491cc, and OSCA benefitted in return by having their own engines produced in sufficient quantities to be homologated. The deal was a win-win but what seemed to be the start of a new chapter however was actually the beginning of the end of the story.
You may imagine the Maserati clan would have been satisfied with this state of affairs and ploughed their new found revenue stream straight back into what they did best, but that wasn’t the case. Considering their raison d’etre was racing, it’s notable that the next project the brothers oversaw was the 1962 OSCA 1600GT, a road car, albeit one with a clear sporting intent. Available with bodywork from either Fissore or Zagato, the Zagato option was the one to have, incorporating roof bubbles to accommodate a driver wearing a crash helmet. Although raw and lightweight it was also very pretty, far more appealing than the clumsier Fissore alternative. Perhaps the OSCA 1600GT was deliberate proof positive of a future intent to create more production focussed cars which would make the company more desirable to investors. Whether the 1600GT was intended to showcase their engineering or simply drum up interest, 1963 saw the company sold to Count Domenico Agusta of motorcycle fame. Agusta should have capitalised on the interest around the 1600GT but only 128 were built before the whole thing fizzled out and OSCA was wound up in 1966. You have to wonder why Agusta bothered buying the firm in the first place if there was no real desire to develop the brand. With the Maserati brothers paid off, the venture stalled.
However, that wasn’t quite the end of the OSCA acronym. In 1959, FIAT had launched their pretty Pininfarina bodied 1200 Cabriolet, otherwise referred to by FIAT-lickers as the Tipo 118 family. Undeniably good looking, it was unfortunately saddled with an underwhelming 59bhp 1,200cc OHV that didn’t live up to the promise of the styling. FIAT had previewed the OSCA MT4 engine in a sleek concept car the same year, and the Cabriolet was a natural home for it.
The addition of the MT4 twin cam livened the Cabriolet up considerably, and with twin Webers the new FIAT 1500 Cabriolet (as it was designated) had around 80bhp to propel it down the road. Confusingly, FIAT were simultaneously producing their own 1,500cc four-pot engine at the time which was derived from their range of inline six cylinders. However, the MT4 had a different block and the pistons, rod and crank were forged components rather than being cheaper cast ones. The Cabriolet received some styling changes to complement its new-found pace, boasting a non-functional go-faster air scoop on the bonnet, uprated drum brakes and larger 15-inch wheels, quite the package in 1959. In July 1960 the brakes were upgraded to discs all round and the model re-designated as the FIAT 1500 S Cabriolet. Also new for 1960 was the Coupé variant, coachbuilt by Pininfarina themselves and arguably better looking than the drop top.
For 1962 the MT4 engine was bored out to 1,568cc and was now good for nearly 100bhp. In a slightly optimistic stretching of the truth, the resulting model was named the 1600 S and all variants received a facelift for 1963 to incorporate a wider front grille. Finally, in 1965 the brakes on the 1600 gained servo assistance and the gearbox was treated to a fifth ratio. By the time the model family was replaced by the FIAT 124 Sport Spider in 1966, total production had reached 34,211 when counting all variants. Although most of them came with the disappointing and cheaper 1,200cc donkey, 3,089 examples were blessed with the OSCA twin cam. More than 20,000 from the total production run were actually assembled by Pininfarina rather than FIAT, so the claim to be entry level exotica is not totally baseless. Not only did 1966 see the end of the car but the engine was discontinued too, marking the definitive end of OSCA’s legacy. Later twin cam engines were FIAT’s own design.
A late 1600 S was a capable car back in the mid-sixties and they remain highly sought after today. Although coveted in their homeland they are rarely seen in the UK; in fact such is their rarity on this island that if you perform an internet search for one, you’ll probably receive photographs of our Prime Find in return. Offered for sale with H&H at the Imperial War Museum Duxford auction on 14th October, YNF 548A is a well-known example within the small world of obscure Italian cars and has picked up a number of awards around the show circuit. Although it’s reportedly been in continuous ownership since 2014, a bit of light Googling indicates it was apparently sold by Coys in 2018 for £28,990. We have to assume something happened to prevent the sale from completing as H&H are reporting the last change of keeper as 2014 and DVLA data backs this up. These things happen and it’s not necessarily any reflection on the car itself. Judging by the images on the H&H site it appears to be a fine example of the breed, and I’m especially pleased to see all previous keepers have resisted the temptation to blow it over in resale Italian racing red. It’s offered with an original detachable hard top, period Fiat sales brochure, workshop manual, copies of various Italian documents, various spare parts and a tailored tricolour car cover (in case you forget its nationality once it’s tucked up in your garage). The interior has also been retrimmed in black leather with complementary black carpets and mohair hood. Enjoy the pictures which we’ve borrowed from H&H:
The estimate for all this Italian charm is a mere £20,000 to 24,000 which contrasts with the previous stalled sale bid of £28,990 at Coys. Whether this is a deliberately low estimate designed to entice interest or a reflection of current values remains to be seen, as it’s not an easy car to benchmark. However, for our purposes it qualifies for our imaginary Prime Find budget, at least in terms of a starting bid. Personally, I’m more enamoured with the shape of the Coupé, but if you fancy a delicately built convertible to drive on the salt ridden roads of a gloomy winter, this could be for you. Perhaps one to keep at your house in Tuscany instead. I’ll leave that up to you.
You may need this link to make up your mind: 1963 FIAT 1600 S OSCA
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk