Societa Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori was an aftermarket company that produced parts to “hot rod” Fiats. The company was started in 1926 by Giorgio Ambrosini, an aspiring racecar driver.
After the second World War, the company started building its own cars under the Siata name.
The first original design to come out was the Amica in 1948. These were powered by 500-cc Fiat engines producing 22-hp, while the 750-cc engine, produced a staggering 25-hp!
In short order, Siata began producing the 300BC Barchetta Sport Spider. The 300BC was penned by Mario Revelli de Beaumont and produced by Nuccio Bertone. A total of around 50 were built, with either a Crosley 750-cc engine or their old friend Fiat offering up a 1,100-cc power plant.
This particular 300BC was the third example built. It was sold through Otto Linton’s Speedcraft Enterprises, in 1952, to Henry Wessells III. Wessells would go on to be a founding member of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America, as well as the U.S. Alfa Romeo Owners Club.
Henry raced the car in 1952 at Giants Despair, Convair, Thompson and Watkins Glen, where he finished 2nd in class in the Queen Catherine Cup. This was the last time races would ever be run on the upstate New York street circuit.
From there it passed through several subsequent owners until 1962, when it came into the hands of J.D. Igelheart, who raced the Siata in the newly formed VSCCA for many years. After that, the car went into hiding for a long stretch. When it came out of hiding, it was treated to a full-on, top-to-bottom restoration, with historical accuracy being the key focus. When a 94-year-old Otto Linton was reunited with the 300BC, at Sebring, he took the car out for a hot lap and came back saying, “You got it right—everything is perfect!”
Seeing the car in pictures, you don’t really get a true sense of size if there is nothing near it to relate to. If you did, you might see the tires head-on and realize they are no wider than early motorcycle tires. This is a tiny little jewel of a machine, a perfectly shaped car that will cut through the air, with no added appendages. This can’t be your daily driver, what with its cut-down windscreen and no thought of a top, but there’s still a lot of room for fun.
Its competition specification Crosley four-cylinder engine will give you 55-hp at 5,300 rpm, while you run through the Siata’s four forward gears. The front independent suspension will keep you going in the right direction, with the live axle in the rear making things interesting. Stopping power is there by the grace of four-wheel Alfin drums. Gauges are at a minimum—fuel, oil pressure and a tach is all you get…and maybe all you need.
However, its diminutive size doesn’t make it all that hard to get into. There’s a decent amount of space for a normal-size human being, but you do feel oversized in this pint-sized racer. Everything falls right to hand, everything is right where it should be. And it all does what it is supposed to do. The steering and the shift linkage all feel very delicate, but not to the point where you feel you’re going to break anything. The power plant may be undersized as well, but there is fun to be had in those precious few cubic centimeters of displacement. It might look like a three-quarter-sized Ferrari or Maserati that was left in the dryer too long on high heat, but this miniature Italian sports car is not small on excitement and fun. Good things do come in small packages.
I want to thank new owners Jamie and Scott Cielewich for fitting me in between their small but mighty Siata’s busy social schedule at the Radnor Hunt concours and its visit to the AACA museum.
Specifications
Wheelbase 2027 millimeters
Weight 720 kilograms
Engine Crosley, 750-cc four-cylinder
Carburetion Solex carburetor
Output 55-hp at 5,300 rpm
Gearbox 4-speed
Brakes 4-wheel Alfin drum brakes
Length 129 inches
Width 53 inches (including wheel nuts)
Height 43 inches (to top of windscreen)
Wheelbase 83 inches
Track 46 inches
Performance
Top Speed 95 mph; 0-60 mph N/A; Average Fuel Consumption N/A
Valuation
Price at Launch $2,400
Excellent $280,000
Good $216,000
Average $168,000
Poor $136,000
