AUCTION PICKS
Single-seater simplicity
Long before Formula Ford there was Formula Cisitalia, says Simon de Burton
1947 CISITALIA D46 MONOPOSTO
SOLD BY BONHAMS, £137,000
Piero Dusio’s Cisitalia D46 was developed as an affordable means of entry to a series of competitions intended to revive single-seater racing in Italy and Europe after the war. Designed by Dante Giacosa, it had an advanced spaceframe chassis and was powered by a Fiat 1100cc engine, tuned for reliability and cheap maintenance. In period, this example took part in the Grand Prix de Bern, then stayed in the same ownership for more than 40 years before being bought by the vendor and restored. Although fitted with a race engine, the original also came with the car.