Siata 208 CS

The Siata 208 CS is an Italian sports car produced by Siata. Introduced in 1952, it is the coupé counterpart to the Siata 208S released that same year.

History

Introduced in 1952 at that year's Turin Auto Show, the 208 series was the successor to Siata's first foray into fully bespoke automobiles, the Siata Daina. 18 cars are said to have been built, of which 11 were bodied by Balbo while the other 7 featured bodies by Stabilimenti Farina. A handful of the 11 cars bodied by Balbo were badged as "200 CS" while the rest were "208 CS". At least one of the Farina bodied cars built was a convertible/spyder model.

File:1954 Siata 200CS front right, Lime Rock.jpg, 1954 200 CS Balbo coupe
File:1954 Siata 200CS coupé by Balbo in Blue, rear left (Greenwich 2021).jpg, Rear view of same car, repainted the original Blue

Performance

The 208 CS is powered by a tuned version of the Fiat "Otto Vu" engine, a 1,996 cc OHV alloy 70-degree V8, as used in the Fiat 8V. In the 208 CS, though Siata quotes a figure of , actual power has been measured to be about at 6,000 rpm with twin Weber 36 DCF3 carburetors, and using Siata's hotter camshaft and triple Weber Carburetors. Power goes to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission. The 208 CS uses Siata's own tubular chassis design with an aluminum body, giving it a curb weight of around For the drive train, the CS uses four-wheel independent wishbone suspension with coil-springs and shock absorbers and four-wheel hydraulic alloy drum brakes.

1953 Siata 208S Farina barnfind (CS056), rear.jpg, 1953 208 CS Farina coupé
1953 Siata 208CS 8V Stabilimenti Farina Spyder - fvr (4610926460).jpg, 1953 208 CS Stabilimenti Farina Spyder
Siata 208CS Bertone Spider.jpg, 1952 Siata 208 CS Corsa Bertone Spider
Siata 208CS engine.jpg, The Fiat V-8 engine in the 208 CS Corsa Spider

References

{{Commons category, Siata 208

Cars introduced in 1952
Siata vehicles
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles