The Colli Promiscua, plus another Italian-

[JHertzman@xxxxxxx]

In AD7-484 Jorn Bereng asks about the Giulia wagons, in particular how many
were there? and in AD7-485 Andrew Watry mentions three in the San Francisco
area, saying also that "I'm sure someone else will provide production numbers,
model names, and the like on Giulia wagons and panel trucks".

Fusi (p.867) says there were sixteen total of the Giulia Super Promiscua,
which is the proper name of the model commonly referred to as the Colli Wagon,
but in production numbers (p.844) lists chassis numbers from 869073 to 875806
for 1968 and from 875807 to 899423 in 1969, a range which covers nearly thirty
thousand cars and (in my opinion) offers no basis for any valid inference. (He
also lists a total of 91 Giulietta Promiscuas in 1956, 1957, 1959, and 1960,
but none in 1958.)

The Giulia Promiscua bears the same 105.26 type number as the standard Giulia
Super, and all of the differences are aft of the doors; thus they were
relatively suitable for modification from a standard production sedan.

In 1970 I visited a Dutch Alfa dealer for service on my Giulia Super, and
discussed with him the Giulia Super wagon which he had as a shop service
vehicle. He said quite emphatically (and I have no reason to doubt his
honesty) that the car was NOT a factory-built car, but had been modified from
a standard Giulia sedan in his own bodyshop. However, the car was clearly
identical in form to the Colli wagons.

Carrozzeria Colli was founded in 1932 by Giuseppi Colli, reorganized and
expanded in 1952 by his sons Mario, Beniamino, Tarcisio e Candido, and closed
in 1973. They had a significant history as an outsource for Alfa- they did the
6C 3000 CM coupe bodies in 1953, for example- but I know of nothing to suggest
that they would have had serious presses. They also (according to the
Etceterini Register) did the paint and trim packages for the 1900 Primavera, a
two-door conversion of the standard 1900 Berlina, which was officially "built
by Boano", one of the better-known coachbuilders of the fifties, and they
built at least the first of the Colli Giulia Promiscua wagons.

There were (and are) several presswork companies which supply stampings and in
some cases subassemblies or complete bodies for low-production cars of major
manufacturers (the Fiat Barchetta and Coupe, for instance, the bodies of which
are outsourced) and which in the sixties supplied stampings to companies which
were in the awkward transition from aluminum-hammering craft-shops to small
car-building industries. One such is Ilca Maggiora, a firm which the average
Italian car owner has probably never heard of. Both Carrozzeria Touring and
Ilca Maggiora claim to have built the Touring-badged Alfa 2000 and 2600
Spiders; Touring had the name but would not have had the presses, Ilca had the
presses, and how the work was split is a matter of conjecture. Ilca, or
another company like it, would have been able to do any part or all of the
dies, pressings, subassembling, alterations, and finishing of bodies or
modifications of production bodies which would have been inconvenient for Alfa
or another manufacturer.

My inference is fairly simple. Once the dies for the tailgate, rear roof, and
upper rear quarter panels of the Colli wagon had been made and set-up in the
presses of such a presswork company there would be negligible added costs
(beyond the steel-by-the-ton) in producing hundreds or even a few thousand
sets of stampings, rather than a few dozen. And once the pressings were made
and stockpiled the conversion of a Giulia Super (or any of the other cars
which shared the same shell) would have been possible for any competent body-
shop or Alfa affiliate which was well-enough connected to get a set of the
pieces from Alfa or from an Alfa subcontractor such as Colli.

Probably many, if not most, of the national Alfa distributors would have had a
few as service cars, and some dealers, like Griswold in San Francisco and my
Dutch dealer, would have enjoyed having one for gofer duty, and the Italian
government (which effectively owned Alfa) could have had as many as it wanted.
Probably a few private parties with friends in the right places could have had
one, but as far as I know they were never offered for sale to the general
public. Counting -or even estimating- the actual numbers built would involve
many WAGs. 200? A few thousand? Probably something in-between. 

Jorn Bereng's question "As a Norwegian '82 GTV owner in need of more room for
my dogs, I have started investigating the rather limited choice of Alfa estate
cars.  The 33 Sportwagon is too small, and the upcoming 156 Sportwagon will
probably be too expensive for me" suggests to me one rather attractive Italian
"cousin" which might be worth considering among used cars, probably more
easily found than a good, affordable Colli. The Lancia Thema, which grew out
of the same development project as the Alfa 164, includes a very handsome
station wagon. The two-liter Turbo version was introduced in 1986, two two-
liter 16 valve versions (one turbo, one not) in 1988, and a turbodiesel also
in 1986. I would be tempted by one if they were available on this continent.

Cordially,

John H.
Raleigh, N.C.  

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End of alfa-digest V7 #487
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