CHIRIBIRI (Italy) 1910-1928
The company "Chiribiri & Co" was founded around 1910
by Antonio "Papa" Chiribiri, initially making spare parts
for the aircraft industry. This continued for some time, and included
the construction of at least one complete aeroplane and later the
licence production of aero engines.
Originally requested to design and build
a hundred cars for a wealthy businessman, this car, the 'Siva' (a
two-seater with a 980cc four-cylinder engine) never reached production
due to the businessman's subsequent financial problems. Following
the first world war, Chiribiri saw the growing market for automobiles
and revisited his design for a car. With various modifications (including
a 1.5-litre side valve engine) the car entered production as the
Chiribiri Milano in 1921 and continued to be built until around
1928.
Derived from the Milano was the Monza, mainly
a touring car with a four-seater torpedo body, but also produced
as the Monza Corsa and used for competition. Their successes (mainly
in their 1500 class, but also occasionally against much more potent
opposition) were numerous, and drivers included a then unheard of
Tazio Nuvolari. The engine was a 1486cc unit with the valves in
the cylinder head, driven by two camshafts, also in the head. The
ultimate development included a supercharged variant (with over
90bhp) in around 1925, with which the car could exceed 200km/h.
The company ceased to construct cars in 1928
due to the worsening market and severe financial conditions.
source: www.carsfromitaly.com
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