By Pete Vack, Jack Thomas and Paul Schouwenburg
Of all the great cars owned by Paul Schouwenburg which found a place in his new book Ferrari Fever, (read review) this one is not as famous as the Alfas and Ferraris that dominated Schouwenburg’s collections, but it is perhaps one of the most interesting and beautiful cars ever built. The OSCA, the Vignale 1500 SN 1153 MT4 2AD Berlinetta is also arguably OSCA’s greatest Grand Touring car, and most certainly the most original.
One of only four road going OSCA MT4s built at the factory and designated to receive Berlinetta coachwork, OSCA 1153 was purchased from the factory by a Frenchman, Monsieur J.L. Abreu, at the Turin Show in 1955. In the late 1960s, the car was sold to the famous collector, Walter Grell of Switzerland, who kept the car for over 30 years and drove it sparingly. In 2000, it was purchased by Dr. Paul Schouwenburg who relates the following: