Estimate: Refer Department
Registration Number: Italian Registered
Chassis Number: 06
Patriarca was one of the many small manufacturers that popped up in Italy after the war. Italy was still a very poor country but the interest in motorsport was very big nevertheless. Mostly these cars were based on Fiat 1100 parts but with light and sporting bodies. Often they added their own heads to the engines and sometimes also a twin cam head and tubular frames were also made in their workshops.
This is exactly what Rodolfo Patriarca did when he started his workshop at Via Rimini in Rome in 1949. The car featured here is a 1951 car with a tubular frame designed and made in house.
It was ordered by racing driver Mario Ricci who commissioned Pinin Farina to create a beautiful barchetta body. It took part in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana with Ricci and famous driver Umberto Maglioli of Ferrari fame in the smallest capacity class as it had a 750cc engine.
Upon its return to Italy a Fiat 1100 engine with all sport modifications was fitted and in 1954 it was duly registered on the road for the first time and took part in many races such as the Stella Alpina, Coppa d'oro Delle Dolomiti, Giro di Sicilia, Palermo-Monte Pellegrino, Coppa Toscana etc etc. In 1958 the engine was tweaked further to make it competitive in the Formula Junior class in which it was eligible for. Eligible for most events worldwide it a very attractive motor car to take part in the world's great rallies and tours for a modest outlay.
