Balbo

Introduce

Est. 1914

Carrozzeria Balbo was founded in Turin by Alfonso Balbo, who established its headquarters in corso Parigi 78. In the first years of activity he realized various customizations on Fiat bases. For the Turin-based company, Balbo also produced various commercial vehicles. But it was on the Lancia chassis that Balbo gained notoriety: in 1922 one of its most successful custom-built cars was built on the Lancia Trikappa base. In 1926, however, Alfonso Balbo died suddenly and the company reins were taken by Carlo Follis, one of Balbo's closest collaborators. The years up to the Second World War were characterized by valid interpretations based on Fiat 6C 1500, dressed by the Turin coachbuilder with elegant car bodies of the sedan, cabriolet or even roadster type. The activity of Carrozzeria Balbo in the 1930s was very flourishing, and it was possible to produce up to one car a day. But then came the war, which put a drastic brake on the course of normal activities, but not only: at the end of the conflict, the establishment of Corso Paris was completely destroyed by bombing and the headquarters was moved to Via Gorizia. At that point they returned to work hard and special versions were made based on Fiat 1100, 1400 and 1500 6C, most of them with sedan bodywork, although coupe and cabriolet versions were also available. There were also some interpretations based on the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 and Lancia Aurelia and Aprilia. During the immediate post-war period, Balbo also devoted a lot to the microcars. In particular, a small car called Balbo B400 was presented in 1953 at the Turin Motor Show and equipped with a 398 cc two-stroke engine and 15 HP of maximum power. However, this car did not go beyond the prototype stage. The following year the company closed.