Five weeks after its debut in 1947, Tazio Nuvolari drove the Cisitalia spyder 202 to second place (and first in its category) in that year’s Mille Miglia. Since then, the car designed by engineer Giovanni Savonuzzi for the founder of Cisitalia (officially known as Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italiana) Piero Dusio, was nicknamed “Mille Miglia Nuvolari Spider”.

The prototype driven by the Lombard pilot – 730 kilos, 1,089cc engine, 75 hp, reaching a top speed of 175 kilometers per hour – had been made in Turin’s Garella body shop. It obviously featured slight differences compared to later-made models (170 in total), such as the double windshield and larger tailfins.

It was a car that was both fast and beautiful. Since 1951, a Pininfarina Cisitalia 202 GT has been part of the collection at New York’s MoMa as an example of “mobile sculpture”.

Photos via:

http://www.rmauctions.com