1952 SIATA Daina Gran Sport Cabriolet
- Engine
- 1.4L OHV inline-four, dual Weber 32 DRP.5 carburetors, 65 bhp
- Colour
- Neptune Blue
A SIATA Daina Gran Sport cabriolet, one of no more than 50 examples built, featuring steel coachwork by Stabilimenti Farina and an aluminium bonnet. Delivered new to California, the car passed through several owners in Ventura County before relocating to Arizona and then the American interior. Its original drivetrain was lost during a period when V-8 conversions were fashionable, but a subsequent owner undertook a four-year rotisserie restoration targeting complete originality, sourcing a correct Fiat 1400 engine and gearbox and refurbishing the original Siata intake manifold.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$357,500
- → 1990Early Ventura County, California residentspartial documentation
Multiple successive owners based in the dry climate of coastal southern California; during this period American V-8 engines were fitted, and the original drivetrain was lost.
- 1990 →Acquisition unknownFlagstaff, Arizona ownerpartial documentation
Car relocated from California to Flagstaff, Arizona during the 1990s; duration of this ownership is not precisely stated.
- 2001 → 2001Acquisition unknownKansas-based ownerpartial documentation
Ownership was brief; the car passed through Kansas before moving on again relatively quickly.
- → 2008Private saleFlorida residentpartial documentation
Held the car for several years following its time in Kansas, selling it in early 2008.
- 2008 →Private saleCurrent consignorfull documentation
Undertook a comprehensive four-year rotisserie restoration aimed at full originality, sourcing a correct Fiat 1400 engine and gearbox and refurbishing the surviving original Siata intake manifold.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2008RestorationPierce Manifold
A four-year rotisserie restoration targeting complete originality, guided by period photographs and historical documentation. A correct Fiat 1400 engine and gearbox with a Siata floor-shift conversion were sourced and fitted. The surviving Siata intake manifold with cast-brass Weber carburettors was rebuilt and reinstalled. A new wiring harness with correct aluminium tags was fabricated, new windshield glass fitted, brightwork re-plated or polished, Veglia instruments refurbished, and a new folding hood in period-correct rubberised canvas with aluminium and acrylic side curtains installed. The body was painted Neptune Blue and the interior trimmed in tan leather with black leatherette and rubber mats.
Restoration commenced shortly after acquisition in early 2008 and lasted approximately four years; Pierce Manifold in California handled the intake manifold rebuild specifically.
- —Modification
American V-8 engines were installed by various California-based owners, replacing the original Fiat 1400 drivetrain, which was subsequently lost.
Described as a common practice of the era; exact date and number of conversions unknown.
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