Zagato's Geneva Surprise

[macchina]

Italiaspeed are pleased to reveal the world premi?re of yet another stunning Zagato coachbuilt car. To be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the Diatto Ottov?
Zagato will be a limited production aluminium berlinetta of traditional Zagato proportions powered by a front-mounted V8 engine. The source of the car's engine remains top secret, but speculation links a Maserati unit, potentially supercharged.


The Diatto
brand will be making their renaissance with this exclusive car, as the marque
has been inactive in car production since 1929 ? a company which once counted
royalty and Enzo Ferrari among its clientele. The car will also represent the
first Diatto car to be bodied by Zagato since 1922, with Diatto at the time
representing one of Ugo Zagato?s
first customers, alongside the larger manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo and Fiat.


Established in Turin in 1835 by Guglielmo Diatto on the banks of the River Po,
the Diatto company initially manufactured horse-drawn carriages. Guglielmo
Diatto passed away in 1864 and the company was passed onto his sons, with shares
going to his widow and daughters. In 1868 the female side of the family sold
their shares to the male heirs, with the company being renamed in 1868 to
Fratelli Diatto. The factory continued to expand.

Diatto
made their entr?e into the motor car business in 1905 with the creation of the
Societ? Automobili
Diatto-A. Cl?ment. This company was formed
from an accord between Diatto and the pioneering French manufacturer Cl?ment (a
Paris based company) in order to construct cars known as the 'Torino' in Turin.
These were actually licensed products from the latter company. At the 1906 Turin Exhibition, Diatto-Cl?ment presented the Turin
8/10 HP, 10/12 HP, 12/16 HP and 20/24 HP models to great success. A year later
the company introduced the 2-cylinder Diatto-Cl?ment Turin 10/12 HP and
4-cylinder 14/18 HP, 20/25 HP, 25/35 HP. At the time the factory produced around
250 cars a year.In 1909 Diatto decided to cut all ties
with Cl?ment, and the company was renamed 'Societa Fonderie Officine Frejus'.

During the first world war new models continued to be introduced (the 18HP,
20-25HP and 30-40HP) as well as chassis' for light commercial vehicles for the
military. An expansion program led to the purchase of various companies in and
around Turin whose experience, equipment and plans were all used by Diatto. A
bodyshop was also founded for the internal production of the bodies. After a brief name change in 1918, in
1919 the company became 'Societa Anonima Automobili Diatto'.


Financial problems
followed the war as the government failed to pay the huge war debt of Itl 6,000,000,
but cars continued to be developed and produced. The Tipo 10 was a small car
with a 1018cc four-cylinder engine, whilst the Tipo 30 was built under licence
from Bugatti and included a four-valve-per-cylinder 1452cc four cylinder engine
(later increased to 2-litres) with around 30bhp. Following liquidation in 1923 a new
company was formed in 1924 with new investors. The Tipo 20 family (20, 20A and
20S) was released, and a Grand Prix car was developed using a supercharged
2-litre dohc eight cylinder powerplant. This car, was
developed by Alfieri Maserati, who left Diatto in 1926 to successfully establish
the Maserati car company together with his brother Ernesto in Bologna. The economic situation at the time was,
however, not to be denied another victim and on the 30th June 1929
the last Diatto cars were produced. The company continued to produce some spare
parts and components until 1955 when it was totally absorbed into "S.p.A. G.
Veglio & C"
               

[macchina]

[Raza]

Not for me.  I think it looks like a 612 mated to a Fiat Barchetta.

[SVT666]

Very Nice!  It looks like the new Scaglietti.



...crossed with a 300 SL

[JYODER240]

I'm one of the few but i've grown to like the 612.

[SVT666]

I'm one of the few but i've grown to like the 612.

Me too.  When i first saw it, I really disliked it.  I thought it was fairly ugly, but then I saw some "in-the-metal" pictures and I thought, "Damn, that's nice".  Remember, I pretty much despise everything about Ferrari.

[MX793]

Not for me.  I think it looks like a 612 mated to a Fiat Barchetta.

I would have said 612 mated with a Jag XK, but yeah, same idea.

[JYODER240]

Me too.? When i first saw it, I really disliked it.? I thought it was fairly ugly, but then I saw some "in-the-metal" pictures and I thought, "Damn, that's nice".? Remember, I pretty much despise everything about Ferrari.

Exactly. I didn't like it at first either. Now I love it.

[Colonel Cadillac]

There's a kid in my dorm whose father has a black 612, and each time I see it, it just doesn't look very good. It looks too bloated and not Ferrari-like.

[Payman]

Not partial to the Scag, but I love the 599 Fiorano.

[Raza]

Not partial to the Scag, but I love the 599 Fiorano.

The 612's no beauty queen, but the 599 wouldn't get best in show against bulldogs.

In my opinion, of course.

[sportyaccordy]

I'm one of the few but i've grown to like the 612.

I saw one in person, it's much better in the metal.

And I agree that this car is ug mug. It looks like the child of a Fiat Coupe and Detomaso Mangusta born out of wedlock. The details are bondo bad. Kit car bad. Very disappointing work from Zagato.

[omicron]

Zagato forgets that 'different' is rarely 'beautiful'.

[TheIntrepid]

I'm with those guys. The 612 and the 599 are both beauties that have grown on me.

[Raza]

God, Ferrari doesn't have to try anymore to please you guys.

[macchina]

The Diatto, while interesting, is hardly beautiful.? I'm interested to see more pictures, however.
Oh yeah, as an added bonus, the new Maserati Coupe is set to debut at Geneva too. ? ?

[LonghornTX]

Not my cup....

[JYODER240]

God, Ferrari doesn't have to try anymore to please you guys.

The Enzo doesn't look nearly as good as a 660K supercar should. The 599GTB is ugly, the 612 Scag has grown on me, and the F430 looks good for now, but I doubt it will age well. Their predecessors had superior designs.

[ChrisV]

I like it, for teh most part.

I also LOVE the 599, the first Ferrari I've really liked since the F40 (one of my top 5 Ferraris of all time) and 355.

[Tave]

Where'd the double-bubble go?

[sportyaccordy]

God, Ferrari doesn't have to try anymore to please you guys.

Have you seen any of these cars in person? I hated the new 3 series when I read the review...but after seeing it in person I'm enamored with it.

[Raza]

Have you seen any of these cars in person? I hated the new 3 series when I read the review...but after seeing it in person I'm enamored with it.

I haven't seen the 599 yet, but if the 3 series is your example, then I'm certainly not going to budge. 

[JYODER240]

I like it, for teh most part.

I also LOVE the 599, the first Ferrari I've really liked since the F40 (one of my top 5 Ferraris of all time) and 355.

I was being a bit harsh on the 599, its quite attractive from some angles but its also sub-par from others.