New month, new models from Autocult

Just got caught up with all the latest releases from Autocult. Here are the ones coming later this month.

1909 Austro Daimler 22/86 PS Spezial "Prince of Elias of Parma"

The 27-year-old Elias of Bourbon-Parma, whose full first name was Elias Robert Karl Maria Pius, had a considerable fortune at his disposal from around 1907 and found his preference for the automobile, which was still in its infancy, similar to many of his aristocratic colleagues. However, it is not known how deep this passion went, but it may have been due to his ties to his Austro-Hungarian homeland that he decided to buy an Austro Daimler.

Elias of Bourbon-Parma wanted a car designed according to his wishes and ordered an Austro Daimler chassis with an engine. From today’s perspective, his individual solution was limited to his own car body. 

It is not certain whether the idea for the very extravagant design was based on his own ideas or was the offer of a supposed expert. Far different in shape from the lines known at the time, hard edges, corners emphasized the slightly tapered shape towards the end of the vehicle. Also worth mentioning are the fenders placed directly above the tires, with the two rear fenders in particular running out in a sweeping manner. With space in the interior for four passengers, the body tended towards the luxurious segment, even if the exhaust pipes protruding from the side of the vehicle reflected sportiness. But perhaps it was precisely this mixture of nobility and efficiency that the nobleman wanted to show with his unique piece. You’ll never know- the car did not stand the text of time either.

1957 Fiat 1200 Vignale Wonderful

It takes a very strong ego to call a car ‘wonderful’! This happened in Italy in 1957.

The Fiat factory presented its tow advanced developments base on the 1100cc technology, the 1200 Granluce and the 1200 Spyder. While the Granluce was a four-door sedan, the Spyder, as a two-door roadster, appealed to the fast-paced clientele. Also in this vehicle category belonged a third version, the 1200 wonderful – visually spiced up by the design studio Vignale.

The Granluce served as the basis for the Turin studio, which was worked on by top designer Giovanni Michelotti himself. He drew a sweeping body in elegant ivory white, which leaned backwards in two fins at the rear rather than stretching upwards. While the visual appearance of the Fiat may have delighted many observers and experts, the Vignale-Fiat is also one of the passenger cars that set technical accents on the global scene.

According to popular opinion, the Fiat 1200 Wonderful was the first removable roof center section – later known as the Targa.

It is not known how many examples of the Fiat 1200 Wonderful were ultimately produced, but it is assumed that five units were made.

Koenig C62