Cisitalia is likely one of the most important and influential automobile manufacturers of which most people have never heard. Founded by wealthy Italian industrialist Piero Dusio, the name (pronounced chee-see-TAH-lee-uh) was a partial acronym that stood for Consorzio Industriale Sportiva Italia. It was one of dozens of small Italian firms established after World War II that built small specialty sports cars using inexpensive Fiat components.

Yet while much of the Cisitalia’s mechanical specifications were shared with the products from the other boutique Italian manufacturers, it was the unmistakable beauty of the coachwork that would set it apart from everything that had come before and secure its place in automotive history.