Solved - NEH 361: Becherini Sport 600 - 1949

[Carnut]

1 point if you can identify what this little beauty is:

[CyCarConsulting]

Looks like a glass copy of a 1951 Ferrari 340 America Spyder by Vignale

[Carnut]

Looks like a glass copy of a 1951 Ferrari 340 America Spyder by Vignale

It's not though.
In fact, it pre-dates it!

[Carnut]

C'mon then Experts?

[white12]

It is a Becherini sport year 1949

[Carnut]

It is a Becherini sport year 1949

Answered like a Pro!

[Paul Jaray]

This car, also known as Nardi-Zundapp (Nardi chassis and 600cc Zundapp engine), was built for Luigi Riccardi by Nicola Becherini's workshop in Tivoli.

[Carnut]

This car is For Sale and this is what is written about it:

QUOTE
Nicola Becherini, grandson of Nicola Becherini (the builder of this car) contacted us giving us more fresh info. First, he says that the body was not crafted by Vignale but by Carrozzeria Fratelli Neri (Neri brothers coachworks) of Tivoli, Rome. He also says that that's pretty sure that the engine belonged to a second race car used by Luigi Riccardi and his brother Enrico, this car is obviously missing since then. He also confirms that many parts of a Fiat 500C were used in building this car which had a Zundapp engine since then. In the early '50's photo above there is Eraldo Becherini, son of the builder, portrayed in an "epic" pose; glad to see that since then the cars is not changed at all, with the only exception of the front grille which is actually missing. Thanks to Nicola becherini for sharing these info with us and every classic cars nut.

This cute little spider has several fathers. Although it is called "Fiat" by the seller, very few of Fiat lives in this car (basically brakes, suspensions and transmission). In 1949, Mr. Luigi Riccardi of Tivoli (Rome, Italy) bought from Enrico Nardi the space frame chassis #86449 along with a Zundapp flat-twin engine (air cooled) with a 600 c.c. displacement. All those parts were then assembled in the workshop of Nicola Becherini.

The result is, for us, a beautiful and elegant little spider. The seller says that the car has been entirely restored in 2008: in that occasion a 1000 c.c. BMW engine was fitted to have a little more power and torque.
UNQUOTE

Here are the pics accompanying that text:

[Carnut]

Incidentally, how odd that a Professional Puzzler who has accrued 228 points from only 249 posts (a staggering record of nearly 1 point per post) has abandoned us completely, having last logged on in September 2014, nearly a year ago.