Ansaldo “PF-1VA”, 1906
The origins of Ansaldo date back to 1853 when Giovanni Ansaldo, a 24-year-old university teacher, came back to Italy after living in North Europe for a while and founded the Company Gio. Ansaldo & C. to build steam trains and ships.
The company had the idea of a car production even before the end of World War I, assuming that aeroplane production would stop once the war was over and it would have then been necessary to switch from war production (heavy artillery) to civil manufacturing.
The prototype of the first Ansaldo type 4A was built in 1919 and the company started selling its first cars in 1920. The model on display is a world premier (and a production ante litteram), built in the Ansaldo workshops even before they actually had a department for car production.
This one-of-a-kind model, built on a Peugeot frame, is powered by a Peugeot single-cylinder engine, chain drive, De Dion rear axle and wooden-spoke wheels.
- 2004 Settimana Motoristica Bresciana
- 2005 Raid Aci Carrozze e Cavalli
- 2006 ASI Auto Show, Venezia.
- 2009 Brescia’s Motoring Week
- 2020 Documentary about Giacomo Puccini’s life, SkyhightTV.
- 2021 Gazzetta Motori, Giacomo Puccini and his cars.
