Turn out this small forgotten Italian coachbuilder has many great works

Forgotten ONES As far as we know, Italy is a country that has a lot of automotive manufacturers ranging from the biggest and famous to the unpopular and the unknown ones. Of the many Italian car manufacturers that have ever existed, maybe the following Italian manufacturer's name is one that you have never heard of or known before.

1972 Lombardi FL1 built based on the Lancia 2000ie by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi, but never saw production. (Picture from: LotusEsprit)

The company mentioned above was Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi, an Italian automaker firm was founded after the war over in 1947 by an Italian engineer whose also known also a WWI pilot veteran named Carlo Francesco 'Francis' Lombardi in Vercelli.

1959 Fiat 600 Lucciola 4-door saloon model by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi. (Picture from: CarTrader)

As qouted from DailyTurismo, as the coachbuilder, his works has a wide range of models, were influenced by the American car styles. He began to build family-type cars with wooden paneling during 1947 to 1950, based on Lombardi experiences in building aircraft by using the same materials. For this, it uses frames from the Fiat, and Lancia.

1959 Fiat 850 Lucciola 4-door saloon model by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi. (Picture from: Wikimedia)

At that time this Vercelli-based company also made several Coupe and Cabriolet types based on the Fiat 500C and 1100E frames. Then the company made a 4-door saloon model based on the Fiat 600 called Lucciola in 1959, and then also built based on Fiat 850.

1963 Fiat 2300 Papal Limousine by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi known also as the first 'true' Popemobile. (Picture from: Pinterest)

Furthermore in 1962, Francis Lombardi expanded its production models of several versions of the limousine, and it been done in simply by extending the frames of many different cars, such as the Fiat 1400, 1500, 1800 and 2300 and also the Lancia Flavia. These cars were generally equipped with an extra row of seats that allowed capacities of between 7 and 8 passengers with the wheelbases were generally lengthened by about 550 mm.

1964 Fiat 850 Coccinella by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi, and debuted at the 1964 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: CarrozzieriItaliani)

As quoted from Carrozzieri Italiani, the Vercelli-based automaker became famous by building a limousine with a glass roof for Pope Paul VI based on the Fiat 2300 in 1963 (known also the first 'true' Popemobile). While at the 1964 Turin Salon, Lombardi presents a two-seater coupe based on the Fiat 500, called Coccinella.

1964 Fiat 500 Libellula by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi. (Picture from: CarrozzieriItaliani)

While at the same year the Francis Lombardi company presented also a spider called Libellula based on the Fiat 850. Well, besides that the company is also continuing to build 2-doors coupe model with a capacity of four passengers based on the Fiat 1300/1500.

1967 Fiat 850 Spider Monza by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi, debuted at the 1967 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: Pinterest)

This model was later replaced by a similar, though different, concept that used the frame and mechanics of the Fiat 124. At the 1967 Turin Salon, Lombardi displayed a new Fiat 850 Spider Monza. It was a two-seater equipped with a fabric roof, equipped with alloy wheels and a wooden steering wheel.

1970 Fiat 500 My Car was the greatest commercial success models of Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi during 1970s with an annual production of about 6000 units. (Picture from: Wikimedia)

Optionally it could be equipped with a modified Giannini engine that offered an additional 6 hp. The carrozzeria’s greatest commercial success models during 1970s was the luxuriously appointed Fiat 500 My Car with an annual production of about 6000 units.

The Fiat 850 Grand Prix is a small two-seater coupe by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi started 1968 to 1972, and known also marketed under several other brands such as OTAS dan Abarth. (Picture from: CarrozzieriItaliani)

Followed by its most significant model was a small two-seater coupe called Fiat 850 Grand Prix, and produced during the periods of 1968 to 1972. It also known marketed under several other brands such as OTAS and Abarth.

Then Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi continued to focus on modifying cars, building coupes based on another Fiat platforms had the result of the one-off 4-door sedan called the Fiat 128 Star, which was then followed by producing similar model named the Fiat 128 Smart. Reportedly the Vercelli-based company also built several cars based on the German brand NSU.

1971 Fiat 128 Star 4-door sedan by Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi, and debuted at the 1971 Turin Motor Show. (Picture from: CarrozzieriItaliani)

At the 1972 Turin Salon, the company presented the Lombardi FL1, a two-seater coupe prototype built based on the frame of the Lancia 2000ie, and claimed could reach a 125 mph in 2 litre engine and 140 mph with the larger V6. That model has dimensions of 4,210 mm in length, width of 1,700 mm and height of 1,130 mm, besides has an approximate weight of 800 kg.