Re: What is an OSI?

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

Jack Koobs de Hartog relays an interesting paragraph on OSI from Tito
Anselmi's 'Carrozzeria Italiana' (more fully 'Carrozzeria Italiana- Cultura e
Progetto' published on the occasion of an exhibition of that name in 1978). I
had overlooked it (usual excuse: the books are at the other house) and I thank
him for prodding me and for a very useful addition.

I'm not dead sure that Angelo Tito Anselmi wrote the paragraph in question; he
was the general editor and a principal author of the book which had several
contributors, and the paragraph cited was in one of two extensive appendices
at the end. I would leave him the 'out', as there is at least one questionable
part, that the Scarabeo was on the Alfa 33 chassis. Fusi says, of the
Scarabeo's tank frame, that "The prototype made use of a system later to be
used on the 33", and the car predates the 33 by a year. The 33/2 had a longer
wheelbase, wider track, and longitudinal engine placement; it seems reasonable
to assume that the two cars were cousins, born out of the same lines of
thought, but that the Scarabeo was not literally on a 33 chassis.

The '94 edition of Jan de Boer's "The Italian Car Registry" (incorporating the
Etceterini Register) lists Fiat 1200S Spiders, the Scarabeos (including one in
the United States) and a Ford OSI 20 MT and an Opel OSI with Taunus V4 engine,
which sounds similar to the ebay car.

The David Burgess-Wise book on Ghia adds some interesting snippets: that the
firm was jointly owned by Ghia and by Fergat, the wheel-making subsidiary of
Olivetti, the business-machine company, that it employed about 600 people and
could turn out fifty cars a day on two assembly lines plus a paint lime, and
produced variants of the Fiat 2300S, also 1300 and 1500 cc Fiats, and the
Innocenti 950 Spider which was based on Sprite/Midget mechanicals.

So, there is more there for Fiat people than for Alfisti. I would enjoy having
one of the OSI 2600 berlinas, if there was an unrusted one available - lovely
car - and the Scarabeo with its transverse four rear engine could be an
interesting inspiration for the people who were lusting after a Stradale
kit-car- very distinctive, fairly attractive, probably easier to build, and
less disappointing for viewers who found it wasn't real.

Again thanks to Jack, and to Eric for raising a more interesting question than
many I won't name.

Cheers

John H.
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