The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The Fiat X1/9 knock-off by DeTomaso: the 1600 Spider by Ghia.
The De Tomaso 1600 Spider made its debut at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, a prototype crafted by Carrozzeria Ghia and powered by a Ford engine. Remarkably similar to the Fiat X1/9 designed by Bertone, it sparked controversy among those familiar with the automotive scene, who saw it as a potential case of plagiarism. However, the truth behind the De Tomaso 1600 Spider’s creation is more nuanced. De Tomaso had no intentions of mass-producing this 170 hp prototype. It was hastily drawn up by the talented Tom Tjaarda at the behest of Alejandro De Tomaso himself, inspired by models circulating between Fiat and Bertone at the time. This intriguing move, perhaps intended to showcase De Tomaso’s capability to swiftly produce models akin to Fiat’s, inadvertently set off a chain of events. Rather than merely copying Fiat, it inadvertently spurred Bertone to accelerate the development of the X1/9 project, which had been languishing in uncertainty. Had De Tomaso not presented this provocative prototype, the fate of the X1/9 project might have been different. It could have remained indefinitely shelved in a Bertone warehouse, a forgotten relic. Instead, history took a different course, and the X1/9 emerged as a beloved two-seater, enjoyed by enthusiasts around the world.
The De Tomaso Vallelunga was presented as a concept car at the Turin Motor Show in 1964. De Tomaso initially intended to sell the Vallelunga project to some other car group, primarily Ford. However, no car manufacturer was interested in the purchase, so De Tomaso decided to build the car at its own expense. Production of the model was then assigned to Ghia. The design was instead the work of the Fissore bodywork.
