1969 Fiat Vignale Samantha Coupe

For sale by auction on Saturday 06 June 2015 with Historics at Brooklands. Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit. Weybridge. Surrey. Call 01753 639170
One of the most illustrious of Italian coachbuilders. br/>Carrozzeria Vignale. had been founded in 1948 by Alfredo Vignale.
Enzo Ferrari's favoured coachbuilder during the Maranello
manufacturer's formative years. Carrozzeria Vignale also designed
and built cars for Lancia and Maserati among others and in the
1960s. branched out into automobile manufacture in its own right.
For Fiat. Vignale built show models. prototypes and some limited
edition models. Based on the contemporary Fiat 124 and 125 models. br/>the 1. 6-Litre. Vignale-bodied Samantha was built in small numbers
in the late 1960s. Vignale's sleek coupé body had very fluid lines. br/>thanks to the recessed. 'pop up' headlights. yet nevertheless
afforded comfortable seating for four and a decent amount of
luggage space. With 100bhp on tap. delivered via a five-speed
gearbox. the Samantha was similar in performance to the 125S donor
car. with a 0-60mph time of 13 seconds and a top speed of 106mph.
Production run of the Samantha 125S is estimated at approximately
100. and these cars were not distributed through Fiat main dealers. br/>leaving foreign importation in the hands of independent
specialists. Only a relative handful are believed to have survived. br/>making the Samantha 125S one of the rarest twin-cam Fiats of the
period. We could thank Greek casino tycoon. Frixos Demitriou for
the right hand drive Samantha. as it is reputed that in exchange
for a gambling debt. he went to visit the Vignale factory and was
offered 200 of the company's cars. configured in right hand drive. br/>for resale in the UK. A mixture of Gamines. 850s. 124 Evelines and
125 Samanthas were subsequently built and shipped. but in the end. br/>the venture failed and a fleet of unsold cars followed Demitriou
back to Cyprus. In 1970 Demitriou died under bizarre circumstances. br/>when an army tank ran over his Vignale-Fiat while he was still
inside!! The incident followed Alfredo Vignale's own unexplained
passing. also in a Vignale-Fiat. in 1969 just three days after he
had sold the Vignale factory to De Tomaso (Ferrari's bitter
rivals). for preparing their Ghia bodied Pantera for
production.

This 1969 Fiat by Vignale Samantha Coupe. presented in
turquoise. with beige leather interior was runner up in the 2012
'Classic Car of The Year' Awards by Practical Classics and Classic
Car Weekly. Under its previous ownership. the car has undergone a
17 year on/off restoration by RM Restorations in Colchester. and
the finished product is absolutely fantastic. When the car was
first restored. the owner decided to have the original 1608cc twin
cam engine rebuilt and during the rebuild. a larger 1995cc twin cam
unit from a Fiat Argenta was fitted. which remains in the car
today. however. the original 1608cc engine comes with the sale
should the new owner wish to revert to the original. A large and
comprehensive history and restoration file accompanies the
beautiful Coupé. which makes fascinating reading and we believe
this to be the only Vignale Samantha registered in the UK today. br/>and perhaps the only surviving righthand drive model.

This stunningly beautiful car is a legend which will continue to
fascinate those with a love of motoring history and folk-lore. It
is a thing of rare beauty that surely can only appreciate in value. br/>considering that the Samantha Coupé. designed by Alfredo Vignale. br/>had less than100 of these beautiful motorcars ever made. with only
27 in righthand drive.

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