Here’s one you don’t see every day, or indeed, except one day last summer, any day. An Innocenti Coupé. My first reaction, and maybe yours as well, was that it was a Pininfarina design, perhaps based on the early 1960s Autobianchi Primula or possibly the Morris 1100, as Innocenti assembled those for the Italian markets. Time to follow the first principles of Curbivore study – take photos; talk to the owner (not possible today); go home and research.
So, I hadn’t heard of it either so I’m indebted to Professor Google for all that I now know about it. It’s not a Pininfarina product nor is it linked to the ADO16 or the Autobianchi, but, and this is the really surprising bit, it’s built on the platform of an Austin Healey Sprite and MG Midget. The car is a little wider than the Sprite, and all visible traces of the Sprite have been covered over, but the firewall, floorpan and inner wings are pure Sprite, as is the 1098cc BMC A series engine. Some of the dashboard gauges are common the Ferrari 250GTE and GTO, believe it or not.
Size wise, the looks are deceptive. It is just a few inches longer and wider in size than the Sprite, although with longer doors and some storage space behind the seats. It might not have a folding roof, but to doesn’t leak either. But if you wanted it, there was a Convertible version in the family.
Innocenti, named for its founder Ferdinando Innocenti, was based in Milan, initially building Lambretta scooters, named after the district of Milan the company was based in.. Motorcycle sales declined in the late 1950s as affluence increased and car sales rose, and Innocenti turned to contract assembly for, predominantly, BMC. At this time, of course, Italy might have been in the European Common Market, the precursor to the European Union, but the UK was not and not immediately likely to be, so trade tariff barriers still existed between the countries. The most obvious way to circumvent them was to assemble BMC cars in Italy, hence BMC’s arrangement with Innocenti. Similar arrangements happened elsewhere, for BMC in Spain, for Fiat in Germany and for Renault and Citroen in southern England for example.
In 1959, assembly started of the Austin A40 Farina, the compact saloon that became one of the first hatchbacks.
Then in 1963 production started of the Innocenti IM3 – IM3 denoting the third model Innocenti and BMC/Austin/Morris had collaborated on.
The second collaboration is of most direct relevance to this car though – a car known as the innocent 950 Spider. The basic rationale for the car was that although a compact British sportscar was an attractive proposition, the styling of the Frogeye (Bugeye) Austin-Healey Sprite was not to Italian taste, and indeed was an acquired taste for just about everyone.
So, Innocenti asked Ghia, under Tom Tjaarda, to design a new body for the Sprite, using the floorpan, bulkhead albeit moved forward and lowered seats to give more space. The engine remained at 948cc 43bhp and the suspension just as basic as the Sprite.
The first Spiders came to market in 1961, and close to 5000 were built by early 1963, when the Spider S with 1098cc and 58 bhp, front disc brakes and revised rear suspension was introduced. Visually, it was unchanged. Another 2000 were sold by 1965, when sales slowed sharply.
Innocenti therefore called in Ghia again, for whom Sergio Sartorelli updated the car and added a fixed roof to create the Innocenti C or Coupe. Visually, and seen separately without reference, it looks like a gentle refresh of the Spider with a roof but there are more substantial differences. All the panels are new, except the bonnet, boot lid and doors, and the car is four inches wider, adding significantly to interior space. The wheelbase was lengthened as well, creating space in the cabin nominally allocated for luggage behind the seats. Power came still from the 1098cc BMC A series engine, through now with 58bhp at 5500rpm, a four speed gearbox and front disc brakes. Suspension was wishbones at the front and leaf springs at the rear. All this was pure Sprite, or MG Midget.
More Italian was the trim, with all the handles, bumpers and badges being bespoke to the Innocenti, along with the wiring loom and most electrical items, including the lights, instrumentation and switches. Some of this will be down to the style, some for industrial and local content reasons. Lucas were still there though, in the steering column and generator, so you wonder about the electrical systems. Lucas meets the Italians….
Production lasted from late 1966 to August 1968, and the car was only offered in red, white or green, to match the Italian flag. Production was very limited – either 794 or 487 depending who you ask. Sales were limited to Italy and some European markets, where it struggled against the cheaper Sprite and MG Midget. The number in the UK is in single figures, and low ones at that.
Innocenti was absorbed by BLMC in 1972, and production focussed on the Innocenti Mini until the business was sold by BLMC in 1976 to de Tomaso and ultimately to Fiat in 1990.
More Innocenti Reading:
Dave Saunders’ take on the Innocenti Turbo DeTomaso
Dave’s own 1984 Innocenti Minitre
Very cool, I knew about the A40 and the Minis but this is a new one on me and its not a bad looking car
, it certainly looks a bit more substantial than the BMC Spridgets, gotta wonder about the Lucas meets Italian electrics though but I guess they worked ok, I have no trouble with the Lucas stuff in my Hillman its been shockingly reliable the whole time the cars been on the road,
Very nice rarity!
I’ve seen the 950 Spider (a few crossed over the Alps) but never this one. Makes sense, given the minuscule production run. The Spidget is cute, but this is actually beautiful. The rear has a bit of the Honda S600 to it.
This curio sits somewhere between an looking like an exotic dainty and something a bit proportionally askew, can’t decide which. Seems to alter each time I look at the photos. Certainly not an Unspoken Italian Ugly (like, say, the Alfa 2000 Berlina, KGB staff car hiding in plain sight behind a badge).
The A40 made by Innocenti was the first to get a hatch – did the Brit one ever follow suit?
I didn’t know the original Sprite was considered a bit off by people, even though I knew the lights were originally meant to be pop-ups. I do see their point a bit in the example shown here: with square rear arches and fins, it does all look a bit weird. Was that a special of some sort?
The Farina A40 always had a bottom-hinged bootlid, and eventually was indeed offered with a top-hinged back window to make it a hatchback. It was never offered with a one-piece hatch.
The Alfa 2000 Berlina ugly? Wash you mouth out!
Ok. But, now through bubbles, I say I still find them…foreboding, and serious, as if they’re about to ask me a lot of questions that they already know the answers to.
A lovely thing! There is a lot to like here. It makes me wonder how it might have done in the US had it been brought here. This looks to me like something that would have done well for its segment.
When I was a kid I had a Matchbox toy of something called an Innocenti Morris. I knew nothing about Innocenti or Morris then, and of course had no concept that is was a unique combination of English and Italian.
I love the idea of offering the car in colors limited to those in the Italian flag. Perhaps the lack of a car in Union Jack blue kept numbers down in the UK? 🙂
CC Effect (sort of). I’d never heard of these until last month when one sold for $19,250 on BringATrailer. They did a nice job disguising just how small these were.
As T87 said above it does have a bit of Honda S600 about it (a good thing), looks like a lovely car overall and certainly an interesting lineage. I do think the rear could have been improved had the tail lights been incorporated into the uprights rather than sort of tacked on looking as they do here, perhaps similar to a Karmann-Ghia.
Excellent find Roger. Given this Innocenti is so similarly generally proportioned to one of the most beautiful cars available up to that time, the Mercedes 280SL, I can’t help but to compare styling. I find the design underwhelming when you look at the two together. Taking into account of course, the MB’s size advantage and luxury price, the Innocenti’s design appears somewhat approaching anonymous.
I’d heard of these, but forgotten. In a way it reminds me of the Chrysler TC by Maserati: an attractive Italian restyle of a common, but not unattractive car. Sure, some of the detailing is nicer, but to the average person, they both look very similar to the donor car. What was the point? It’s not like turning a Falcon into a Mustang. A lot of effort for very little return, and the sales numbers reflect that.
Not a fan of the rear light treatment, though otherwise is it unfortunate the rest of the car including the front-end and coupe bodystyle was not carried over to both the Sprite and Midget (that themselves should have probebly received an MGB GT-like hatchback coupe rear-end).
Ex Innocenti owner here! Had an Inno Cooper 1300 and loved it!
Mine had a beautifully balanced A series (they are normally as rough as anything) and went like the clappers, running up to a genuine 110mph at 6500 rpm in it’s rather short 4th gear.
These were surprisingly different from the British Mini they resembled, sharing very few body panels and having a much nicer interior with 5 round gauges and cool real bucket seats. Even the rear axle was different with negative camber trailing arms. Metal seemed thicker and quality and rust resistance was better than the BL Minis I had.
I really think BL missed a trick in not using the gorgeous Innocenti roadster and coupe to replace the rather homely Spridget in all markets.
Even the Inno ADO 16 would have made a great facelift for that car.
What a great find and thanks for sharing!
Something of the Simca 1300/1500 in the front panel&light arrangement and a bit of Lancia Fulvia to the glasshouse. I think it’s rather elegant and agree, it should have replaced the Midget, eventually gaining a twin cam engine…
Always learn something new here – this car does look very much like its countrymen from the 1960s, hard to see any BMC DNA in it.
I´d like to correct a few errors above. The car was indeed offered in four different colors, a “Yellow Positano” added in July 1968, just a few months before OSI collapsed and the C was whitdrawn from production altogether. Please see attached image of one such (unrestored) specimen. Very few specimens survive today, there are around 30-40 left in Italy and only a handful more worldwide. The majority of the surviving ones have been tinkered with and “restored” with dubious quality. Common for many is the lack of original specs, ie. rear lights, upholstery, switches, mirrors etc. The red one pictured above has incorrect rear lights as the original OLSA´s are practically impossible to source anywhere. The total production figure is indeed a matter of dispute, since Innocenti records show the total number bundled together with the Spider. However, according to the Italian homologation papers of the Innocenti C, the production started at C32/1*305001* and the highest VIN numbers known among collectors are in the 3057xx range. So it´s safe to say that no more than 794 were ever built of this jewel.