After leaving Maserati in 1947, the Maserati brothers founded the legendary OSCA marque. Their goal with this new firm was to manufacture thoroughbred racing cars, and indeed they succeeded, creating some of the most advanced small-displacement racing cars of the period. In the mid-1960s, they decided to offer competition-derived GT cars, keeping the same technological approach using Gilco chassis and advanced Fiat-based twin-cam engines. The 1600 GT was the result, and rolling chassis were sold to several different coachbuilders including Touring, Zagato, and Carrozzeria Fissore of Savigliano, Italy – founded in 1919 by the four Fissore brothers.

The 1600 GT offered here, sporting Fissore body no. 5722, was originally registered as “FI 262868” in Florence, Italy, on October 5, 1964, in the name of Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A., at the firm’s headquarters on Via dei Tornabuoni.

In June 1966, the OSCA was registered to its second owner, Alfredo Pierucci, residing in Pareto, Italy. It then returned to Florence in January 1967, when it was acquired by its third owner, Renzo Andrei, and then passed to its fourth owner, Ida del Bigallo, in June 1967.

The first edition of John de Boer’s The Italian Car Registry, published in 1994, notes that this 1600 GT was part of the famous Mario Righini Collection based in Modena. From there, the car passed to an owner in Cremona, Italy, and then, in 2009, it was registered to Francesco Vitale, living in Domodossola, Italy, on the northern shore of Lake Maggiore. During his ownership, the 1600 GT was certified by FIVA. In September 2017, the OSCA was registered in the name of Karsten Wohlenberg, resident of Königstein im Taunus, Germany.

Currently in the care of a Southern California collector, this beautiful OSCA has recently been enjoyed in local drives and rallies. Benefiting from a recent mechanical restoration, and reported by the consignor to be in good overall condition, it is still equipped with an original Nardi steering wheel and proper Campagnolo Amadori magnesium wheels. The OSCA is also supplied with an extra set of steel wheels with modern tires, for use in driving events.

A rare custom-bodied OSCA with a fascinating provenance, this 1600 GT is a superb example of a rare model and a brilliant expression of the most advanced motoring technology of the time.