Topic: als_035

[als15]

This is a good candidate for the Black Hole... So it starts directly from Pros.
I've actually no idea of the coachbuilder (whose name is enough for the point) and only a guess about the base... 

[D-type]

It looks like a cross between a Hindustan Ambassador and an FX4 London taxi.

[DeAutogids]

It looks like a cross between a Hindustan Ambassador and an FX4 London taxi.

It does, so i think this warrants the slightly related question "Is it from India?"

[als15]

"Is it from India?"

I agree with your consideration, but I think the coachbuilder neither exactly knew where India actually is nor had ever seen a Hindustan...
No, is not Indian.

[woodinsight]

It looks as though the base may be Fiat and that it may be an ambulance (judging by the roof mounted light and the red cross insignia on the door).
Which coachbuilder though I don't know.

[als15]

Both correct: it's indeed an ambulance and I suppose the base is a Fiat 1400 (or less likely an old 1100 L).
The hard point I wasn't able to solve is: who made it?

[Carnut]

Fissore?

[als15]

Fissore?

As I wrote, I actually don't know who made it. So you have also to prove it.
However, I think it's not Fissore: the small badge on the front wing doesn't look like the Fissore shield.

[als15]

Another step toward the Black-hole... 

[75america]

For this one, I took contact with Pierfrancesco Mainetti who wrote in the august '06 issue of the magazine 'Misericordie d’Italia' an article that featured the exact same picture.

This was his answer:
" Per quanto riguarda la bellissima realizzazione
dell'ambulanza Fiat 1400 non si hanno ancora notizie certe, questo tipo di realizzazione la farei rientrare in quel gruppo di modelli che imitavano certe linee americane del periodo; solitamente le realizzazioni di questo tipo venivano prodotte da aziende artigianali."

So in short, yes probably Fiat 1400 based and not bodied by one of the major carrozzieri, but still unknown which less famous carrozzeria was responsible for it... So no real new info at the moment.

[als15]

So no real new info at the moment.

Unfortunately not... I already discussed this picture with Pierfrancesco (btw, we wrote togheter a book about classic Italian ambulances some years ago) and we weren't able to get more information.

[Oguerrerob]

Alessandro Sannia shows in his book a similar cars as a
Croce Verde Carrozzeria Pietroboni based on Fiat 1400 and 1900 

[als15]

Alessandro Sannia shows in his book a similar cars as a
Croce Verde Carrozzeria Pietroboni based on Fiat 1400 and 1900 

Nice guess... but I am Alessandro Sannia... and I'm quite sure this is not from Pietroboni because comes from a different region of Italy.
Pietroboni sold cars mainly in its area, that is Veneto (north-east), while this one is something local from Liguria (north-west, on the Tirrenian seacost).

Neverthelss, if you can prove it's by Pietroboni, this wuold be a great discovery!

[Oguerrerob]

It's a pleasure to meet you! I recently bought 5 of your books at the Libreria dell'Automobile in Milan.
Well, about this Ambulance, as a said is 'similar' to. I believe it's not. I'll keep seaching

[thorax]

Alessandro: are you sure that this ambulance comes from Liguria? the plate seems to be CE (Caserta) not GE (Genova)

[thorax]

I read four numbers in this plate: if is CE 4XXX the period may be 1949 - 1950; GE 4XXX is in 1927.
correct me if I'm wrong

[als15]

Good point! I got the picture from a Ligurian friend, but probably he did my same mistake.
This moves the coachbuilder far down, but unfortunately it doesn't provides clues... 

[thorax]

probably some obscure coachbuilder from south Italy 

[targhediferro]

I read four numbers in this plate: if is CE 4XXX the period may be 1949 - 1950; GE 4XXX is in 1927.
correct me if I'm wrong

Now, I'm not sure if this plate has four or five numbers...but it's for sure that if it is GE 4---- is quite impossible it can be a Fiat 1400, because only the  earliest 1400s from march 1950 had plate number under 50000 (In my archive I just have one, GE49797).   Anyway GE 4----  could be right if the chassis would be a Fiat 1100 EL, or BL.