Admiral’s Flagship
Promoted to the rank of masterpiece almost since its inception, the Cisitalia 202 was born with a modest four-cylinder Fiat engine. Shortly before it disappeared, Piero Dusio’s firm launched a rare version using a much more powerful racing-boat engine. It was that 202D, a car that still fascinates us today and which appears on these pages, that the Dusio father and son team took to the Mille Miglia in 1952.
The fate of Cisitalia is unusual because, in spite of its very brief existence—less than a decade—and limited production, the company still managed to leave a unique mark on automobile history. The was born in 1944 from the desire of a wealthy Turin industrialist to mass produce a small grand touring car. At the time, textile magnate, former professional sportsman, and owner of Turin’s Juventus soccer team, Piero Dusio saw himself
