Italy’s Nicolis Museum

I was surprised to learn that the coachwork on this 1925 Alfa Romeo RM was by Zagato. The RM used mechanical and chassis parts from the more expensive RL model. Powered by a 4 cylinder engine derived from the 6 cylinder engine of the RL the RM was designed more for the family man than sporting motorist.

Supplied as a rolling chassis to Australia this 1923 Alfa Rome RL Normale is fitted with bodywork by Martin and King coachbuilding of Melbourne Australia.

This Castagna-bodied supercharged Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GTC dates from 1931. The paint applied when restored was mixed with fish scales as would have been the case when the car was first constructed.

Castagna of Milan bodied this 1933 Alfa Rome 8C 2300 (no other info available.)

In 1853 a university teacher by the name of Giovanni Ansaldo returned to Italy after spending time in Northern Europe and decided to form a company to manufacture steam trains and ships. By the middle of WW1, the company Gio Ansaldo & Co decided to go into car production. This example however predates that decision. Built in the company’s workshop in 1906, based on a Peugeot chassis with a monocylinder Peugeot engine, chain drive, and wheels with wooden spokes.

Ordered by Ettore Mayr, the Trentino area agent for Ansaldo, this 1924 Ansaldo 4CS was faster than the standard model as it was to be used as a demo model and Ettore had a leaning towards sports motoring. Timed at 119kph over the flying kilometer Ettore had several race wins including the 1924 Trento Bondone Hill Climb.

The straight 8 3.5 Liter Tipo 22 was Ansaldo’s top of the range model. This example, dating from 1930 has only covered 3000 km from new and has had only two owners, the first owner being Nicola Frugone, a wealth gentleman from Liguria. The leather interior is totally original, the vanity case in the passenger compartment contains silver fittings and the Ansaldo marked cigar lighter is petrol fueled, oh and the original rubber running boards are still in place so as you can clean your shoes before entering the cabin.

Introduced to the market in 1934 as an alternative to the Fiat 1500 and Lancia Augusta, the Bianchi S9 Sport shown here offered a top speed of 120 km from a 42 bhp 1452cc 4 cylinder engine. Production ceased in 1939, this example dates from 1935.

The museum contains an impressive collection of motor bikes, mainly Italian. This example stood out. In 1956 Gino Franzosi broke the mile record with a speed of 134.411 kph on this Bianchi Tonale 175cc streamlined motor bike at Castelfusano. The following year he and Montanari broke the 6 hour and 1000 km record at Monza.

Winner of the 1979 International Grand Prix of restoration and preservation this 1903 Cottereau Populaire is believed to be the only remaining example. Cottereau was one of the first manufactures of motor cars in France, building their first car in 1898. Fitted with a single cylinder 1040cc engine producing 8 hp, power is transmitted from the three speed gearbox via twin driving chains. Reverse gear was an optional extra.

The Isetta was originally designed and manufactured by ISO in Italy between 1953 and 1955. This example dates from 1956 and is a BMW Isetta 250 built under license. It provides a new meaning to the phrase ‘suicide door.’

This straight 8 Bugatti T49 Roadster dates from 1931. Driven in the 1964 International Rally held in Chioggia by Chiron.

When new this 1930 Coupe De Ville Cord L29 cost the grand sum of $3095. Behind the Cord is a 1978 Rolls Royce Camargue. Designed by Pininfarina and built by Mulliner Park Ward.

This 1939 Delahaye 135M has coachwork by Henri Chapron.

Bodied by Colli of Milan around a chassis fitted with a Fiat derived engine, this 1949 Fiat 500 Spider Sport is probably a one of a kind.

Order by the Fiat agency in Bombay India for the Maharajah of Patiala, this 1924 Fiat 501 was fitted with Milan car tuner Eugenio Silvani’s Superculasse Silvani cylinder head conversion. Sold as performance kit the conversion changed the valve positions from the side of the cylinder to the head of the cylinder.

The replacement for the 501 model, this Fiat 512 dates from 1926. Production ran from 1926 to 1928. Often exported to England and Australia this example was found in a remote location in the Philippines in the 1970s, it returned to England and was restored correctly over a period of 15 years.

Fiat named the 508 Balilla to celebrate the Italian Fascist youth organization. Introduced in 1932 and selling for 10800 Lira, optional extras included a rear brake light, a clock, ashtray and a rear trunk.

Confusingly this 1965 Fiat 600D Coupe Viotta has a 750cc engine (note the badge on the nose) as was fitted from 1960 to increase the performance gap between it and the smaller 500 model.

The Bertone body on this Fiat 1500 chassis is believed to have been designed by Mario Revelli towards the end of World War 2 and fitted in 1945 to a chassis dating from 1941. Probably my favorite car in the Museum.

Baking quietly on the roof of the Museum, a Fiat Aviazione G46 military trainer. Designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli, the G in the aircraft designation, and powered by 225hp 6-cylinder Alfa Romeo 115Ter engine. The first flight of the G46 took place on the 25th June 1947. Behind the G46 is another Italian Air force training aircraft, a Lockheed T33A. Behind the T33, the missile with a man in it, a license-built (by Aeritalia/Fiat) Lockheed F104G Starfighter.

Originally from Pennsylvania and once owned by Veneiro D’Annunzio, the son of the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio and the USA agent for Isotta Fraschini, this 1929 Isotta Fraschini 8A has coachwork by Castagna. The Societa Milanese D ‘Automobili Isotta Fraschine was founded in 1900 by a group of wealth connoisseurs including Cesare Isotta and the brothers Oresto, Antonia and Vincenzo Fraschini. Luciano Nicolis spent 15 years restoring the car to her original condition.

Isotta Fraschini straight eight engine.

White sidewall tires make an unusual addition to this 1969 Series One Lamborghini Espada. The leather interior matched the exterior color.

Lancia, 1911, Beta 20 HP. This Type B long-chassis Beta was sold as a rolling chassis to the USA, where it was fitted with a runabout body built by SGV. Among the most important specifications of this model there are the dual accelerator control, by pedal and by lever on the steering wheel, and the large fuel tank, about 100 liters as at that time the gas stations were still rare and the petrol was sold in cans by the groceries, it was absolutely necessary to have a considerable fuel distance. In addition, on the left driver’s side, there is a spare fuel brass hose. Vincenzo Lancia was very concerned with the innovations and the needs of his clients, so in 1909 he had already fitted his cars with a spare wheel, and not a simple spare tire, as it was common in Italy in that period. On this car it’s important to notice the two big acetylene headlamps and the mechanical speedometer on the front right wheel, probably fitted in the States.Info from the Museo website.

Appia in an interesting garage setting which includes a lathe.

The first and second series Lancia Aprilia was available in short and long wheel base form to allow the fitment of various different body styles, or was sold as a rolling chassis to enable one to commission your own body from your favorite Carrozzeria. This second series example from 1947 has coachwork by Pinin Farina and is built on the longer wheel base tipo 439 chassis.

Artena is a small village in the Lazio region of Italy. Lancia first showed the Artena at the 1931 Paris Motor show. Being a car with a separate chassis allowed the fitment of individual body designs. This 1933 second series example has Coupe De Ville coachwork by Carrozzeria Cesare Sala and was designed to be chauffeur driven.

Lancia Astura, had a name inspired by a medieval castle in the Lazio region of Italy. With coachwork by Farina, this 8-cylinder Astura Berlina Gran Sport dates from 1931.

The 1937 Astura Spider shown in the museum was prepared in 1939 by Carrozzeria Colli, by order of the Milanese Scuderia Ambrosiana, for one of the Scuderia’s top drivers, Luigi Villoresi. The logo of the museum is inspired by the lines of the Astura and Signor Nicolis drove her on 11 Millie Miglia retrospective runs as it was his favorite car in the collection. Read more on And How!

1965 Lancia Flaminia Super Sport, one of just 187 built between 1964 and 1967.

With coachwork by Pinin Farina this 1947 Maserati A6 1500 was the second example constructed and is noticeably different to the prototype in regards to the headlights, the rear window, double side windows and the shape of the tail it was first displayed at the October 1947 Italian Coachwork show at the Milan Triennale. Exported to Argentina in 1950 the car returned to Italy during the 1970s and was purchased by Luciano Nicolis and restored to her original splendor.

Another view of the Maserati.

Dating from 1931, this supercharged 6-cylinder OM 665 SSMM has spider coachwork by Castagna and is one of the examples modified by the English importer featuring a modified cast iron cylinder head with overhead rather than side valves. The engine block, also made of cast iron, is unusual in having six spark plugs on each side of the block.

This 1904 Peugeot Tipo 58, an upgrade of the Tipo 56, is powered by a 5hp 833cc monoblock engine and has a top speed of 40 kph. Not a great commercial success.

Signor Nicolis did not just collect cars, he was interested in anything mechanical, or technical, things like this Wright cyclone R3350 18-cylinder twin-supercharged aero engine from a Boeing B29 being a prime example.

SCAT (Societa Cerano Automobilia Turino was established in 1906 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano. In addition to making fine touring cars SCAT also took part in competition, particularly the Targa Florio in 1911, 1912 and 1914. This 1908 Scat model 15/20 was discovered in Australia and is in wonderfully original condition. The SCAT was the first vehicle ever to be fitted with a compressed air starter. As an aside the exclusive SCAT representative in the Venato region was a certain Tazio Nuvolari.

Born in Pordenone, Fioravante Zanussi started with tuning cars for himself and some customers in the early 1930s; racing a Fiat 508 tuned by Zanussi, the driver Alberto Comirato of Treviso won the 1939 Italian Champion title. The car shown in the museum, whose restoration has been recently completed, was built in the late 1940s on a Fiat 508 C chassis.

Currently fitted with a Fiat 1100 S derived engine, the car was driven by Zanussi himself at some hill climb races until the mid-1950s. .

The car’s history is not yet completely known: probably it was originally fitted with an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 engine, deprived of the supercharger and reduced to four cylinders by eliminating the two central ones. Later on, it was fitted with a 6-cylinder 2-liter BMW 319 engine and finally in the mid-1950s it was fitted with the present 1100 S engine and had a modified and updated body

Signor Nicolis also collected cameras; the museum contains 500 from his collection, many of which made my shutter finger twitch.

Signor Nicolis was born very near to Mantova, the birth place of Tazio Nuvolari, to whom Signor Nicolis had great regard. The museum contains an impressive collection of Tazio’s personal effects starting with one of his dapper hats.

This Maserati nose numbered 1548 comes from Herbert Berg’s 1937 6CM, entered in the Bern Grand Prix.

Signor Nicolis’s favorite car in his museum was the Lancia Astura MM, a car he used frequently in many historic events including 11 Millie Miglia retrospectives.

A colorful line up of scooters. The collection includes 100 motor cycles and scooters of all ages.

A stylish area in which to rest your whatever.

106 Formula 1 steering wheels from Michele Alboreto’s 1986 Mono Steering wheel from his Ferrari to Alex Zanardi’s 1994 Momo as fitted to his Lotus

A small selection of fascinating paperwork concerning Tazio Nuvolari.

A pair of Tazio’s goggles.

Commissioned by George Vanderbilt and designed by Cartier to be awarded at a race to be held at the Roosevelt raceway in Long Island New York. Only awarded twice, To Nuvolari in 1936 (Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo 12C- 1936), and Bernd Rosemeyer (Autounion C Type) in 1937. In a collection of many jewels with a height of 100cm and a weight of 70 kgs this has to be one of the biggest jewels.