Chiribiri
Encyclopedia
Chiribiri began life as an engineering and automobile manufacturer in Turin
in 1910 when the 45 year old Venetian
Antonio 'Papa' Chiribiri founded Fabbrica Torinese Velivoli Chiribiri & C., (Chiribiri Aircraft of Turin), along with associates Maurizio Ramassotto and the engineer Gaudenzio Verga.
Antonio Chiribiri was born in Venice
in 1865 but it was not a natural city for engineering so he moved to Florence
to work in a small factory. He quickly moved on to Zust
and then Isotta Fraschini as a technical specialist in automobiles. In 1909, he joined the aeronautical manufacturer Miller Aircraft in Turin and took charge of technical design. In 1910, he started his own company manufacturing spare parts and accessories for aeronautics, 'Fabrica Torinese Velivoli Chiribiri & C'.
The company became known for the quality of its aircraft parts and grew to build at least one aircraft, the 'Chiribiri No. 5', 2 seater, tractor monoplane
which flew in July 1912. It was 24 feet (7.3 m) long with a 31 foot (9.4 m)wingspan, weighed 770 lb (350 kg) and flew at 55 mph (90 km/h). But then Chiribiri was licensed to build 100 aeronautical motors for French
engine manufacturer Gnome et Rhone
, so aircraft production ceased. This success enabled Chiribiri to open a ‘flying school’ at the factory, training pilots who subsequently flew in World War I
.
In 1912, a Fiat Chiribiri broke the world speed record for the timed kilometre from a flying start. This car, with a 7,000 cc engine producing 300 hp
could reach 300 kilometre per hour, is now displayed in the Mario Righini collection at the castle in Panzano
, a frazione
of Castelfranco Emilia
, Italy
.
Chiribiri started building production automobile
s in 1914, when Gustavo Brunetta d'Usseaux, a rich land owner, commissioned the construction of 100 examples of the ‘Siva’ , a 980 cc economy car, but the financial side failed so Chiribri carried on alone. In 1915 they started a second production series with a larger chassis and 1300 cc, 12 hp (9 kW) engine, and continued throughout the war.
At the 1919 Paris Motor Show Chiribiri launched the 'Milano' open bodied, 4 seater, 1593 cc, side valve, 12 hp model that remained in production until 1922 when it was replaced by the 100 km/h ‘Roma 5000’ (Touring and Sport versions) with a 1500 cc, twin overhead cam, engine producing 25 CV engine at 3,200 rpm. This was in turn developed into the 'Monza', either as a four-seater torpedo
bodied tourer or as a 'Monza Corsa' for competition, eventually with a supercharger.
The racing debut of the Monza GT model in the hands of Ada Chiribiri, Amadeo Chiribiri, Tazio Nuvolari
, Gigi Platé and I'inglese Scalese 'the Englishman' Jack Scales (Jan 29 1886-Oct 23 1962) brought three victories in the Susa
-Moncenisio
race, the Aosta
-Gran San Bernardo race and the Voiturette
GP at the Monza
autodrome.
In 1921 Amadeo Chiribiri, racing under the pseudonym of Deo, won the 'Coppa della Cascine' in Florence
and Mauro Ramassotto came second in the 2,000 cc class of the Rome Criterium.
In the 1922 2nd Grand Prix
of Penya Rhin (Barcelona
) at the Circuit de Vilafranca
, a road circuit in the hills behind Sitges
, Mauro Ramassotto finished 3rd and Amadeo Chiribiri set the fastest lap (112 km/h) for 'Voiturettes' up to 2000 cc.
In the 1923 3rd Grand Prix
of Penya Rhin (Barcelona
) at the Circuit de Vilafranca
Tazio Nuvolari
was 5th in the 1500 cc Chiribiri, and in the II Spanish Grand Prix
at the banked Autodrom Sitges-Terramar
, he finished 4th.
In 1924, Alete Marconcini was Italian National Champion driving a Chiribiri 12/16 to 3 victories in the Circuito del Belfiore, the Circuito di Cremona and the Circuito del Montenero. Additionally Tazio Nuvolari won the Circuito del Savio and the Circuito del Polesine, whilst Rodolfo Caruso won the Coppa della Perugina.
In 1923 a road version was released with either a 45 CV
(33 kW) engine or a new 65 CV (48 kW) version using 5,000 rpm. 2 years later a supercharger was added, delivering 95 CV (70 kW) at 5,700 rpm, and achieving 180 kilometre per hour.
In 1926 Piroli, the riding mechanic, was killed at the Avus
in Berlin on 9 July.
In 1927, the company diversified into diesel and industrial engines.
In 1925, the company was revamped and the name was changed to 'Auto Costruzioni Meccaniche Chiribiri' but sales of road going vehicles were never high, due in large part to the poor performance of the side-valve Milano whilst its higher 'aeronautical' engineering quality standards necessitated higher pricing. So, despite the 1927 venture into diesel and industrial engines, when financial depression hit Europe the company closed on 3 September 1929, its assets being sold to Lancia
.
Antonio Chiribiri died in April 1943. Amedeo, his son born in 1898, and Ada his daughter, had been his closest collaborators and team members, having won races, hill climbs and rallies.
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
in 1910 when the 45 year old Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
Antonio 'Papa' Chiribiri founded Fabbrica Torinese Velivoli Chiribiri & C., (Chiribiri Aircraft of Turin), along with associates Maurizio Ramassotto and the engineer Gaudenzio Verga.
Antonio Chiribiri was born in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1865 but it was not a natural city for engineering so he moved to Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
to work in a small factory. He quickly moved on to Zust
Zust
Zust was an Italian car manufacturing company operating from 1905 to 1917.The company was founded by engineer Roberto Züst, an Italian industrialist of Swiss origin, who owned a precision tool manufacturing plant at Intra, near Lago Maggiore...
and then Isotta Fraschini as a technical specialist in automobiles. In 1909, he joined the aeronautical manufacturer Miller Aircraft in Turin and took charge of technical design. In 1910, he started his own company manufacturing spare parts and accessories for aeronautics, 'Fabrica Torinese Velivoli Chiribiri & C'.
The company became known for the quality of its aircraft parts and grew to build at least one aircraft, the 'Chiribiri No. 5', 2 seater, tractor monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
which flew in July 1912. It was 24 feet (7.3 m) long with a 31 foot (9.4 m)wingspan, weighed 770 lb (350 kg) and flew at 55 mph (90 km/h). But then Chiribiri was licensed to build 100 aeronautical motors for French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
engine manufacturer Gnome et Rhone
Gnome et Rhône
Gnome et Rhône was a major French aircraft engine manufacturer. Between 1914 and 1918 they produced 25,000 of their 9-cylinder Delta and Le Rhône 110 hp rotary designs, while another 75,000 were produced by various licensees, powering the majority of aircraft in the first half of the war on...
, so aircraft production ceased. This success enabled Chiribiri to open a ‘flying school’ at the factory, training pilots who subsequently flew in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1912, a Fiat Chiribiri broke the world speed record for the timed kilometre from a flying start. This car, with a 7,000 cc engine producing 300 hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
could reach 300 kilometre per hour, is now displayed in the Mario Righini collection at the castle in Panzano
Panzano
Panzano is the name of four frazioni of the following Italian communes:*Campogalliano*Castelfranco Emilia*Greve in Chianti*Monfalcone...
, a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Castelfranco Emilia
Castelfranco Emilia
Castelfranco Emilia is a town and comune in Italy in the province of Modena, region of Emilia-Romagna. The town lies c. 25 km northwest of Bologna....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Chiribiri started building production automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s in 1914, when Gustavo Brunetta d'Usseaux, a rich land owner, commissioned the construction of 100 examples of the ‘Siva’ , a 980 cc economy car, but the financial side failed so Chiribri carried on alone. In 1915 they started a second production series with a larger chassis and 1300 cc, 12 hp (9 kW) engine, and continued throughout the war.
At the 1919 Paris Motor Show Chiribiri launched the 'Milano' open bodied, 4 seater, 1593 cc, side valve, 12 hp model that remained in production until 1922 when it was replaced by the 100 km/h ‘Roma 5000’ (Touring and Sport versions) with a 1500 cc, twin overhead cam, engine producing 25 CV engine at 3,200 rpm. This was in turn developed into the 'Monza', either as a four-seater torpedo
Torpedo (car)
The torpedo body style was a type of automobile body used from the early twentieth century until the mid-1930s, and which fell quickly into disuse by the Second World War....
bodied tourer or as a 'Monza Corsa' for competition, eventually with a supercharger.
The racing debut of the Monza GT model in the hands of Ada Chiribiri, Amadeo Chiribiri, Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari was an Italian motorcycle and racecar driver, known as Il Mantovano Volante or Nivola. He was the 1932 European Champion in Grand Prix motor racing...
, Gigi Platé and I'inglese Scalese 'the Englishman' Jack Scales (Jan 29 1886-Oct 23 1962) brought three victories in the Susa
Susa, Italy
Susa is a city and comune in Piedmont, Italy. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Riparia, a tributary of the Po River, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, 51 km west of Turin.-History:...
-Moncenisio
Moncenisio (comune)
Moncenisio is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km west of Turin, on the border with France, in the Val Cenischia....
race, the Aosta
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...
-Gran San Bernardo race and the Voiturette
Voiturette
Voiturette is a word mostly used to describe a miniature automobile; however, it has several nuanced meanings, depending largely on the usage date.-History:...
GP at the Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
autodrome.
In 1921 Amadeo Chiribiri, racing under the pseudonym of Deo, won the 'Coppa della Cascine' in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and Mauro Ramassotto came second in the 2,000 cc class of the Rome Criterium.
In the 1922 2nd Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
of Penya Rhin (Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
) at the Circuit de Vilafranca
Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès, or simply Vilafranca, is the capital of the comarca of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain. The Spanish spelling of the name, Villafranca del Penedés, is no longer in official use...
, a road circuit in the hills behind Sitges
Sitges
*Church of Sant Bartolomeu i Santa Tecla . It houses two Gothic sepulchres , belonging to the an older church located on the same site...
, Mauro Ramassotto finished 3rd and Amadeo Chiribiri set the fastest lap (112 km/h) for 'Voiturettes' up to 2000 cc.
In the 1923 3rd Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
of Penya Rhin (Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
) at the Circuit de Vilafranca
Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès, or simply Vilafranca, is the capital of the comarca of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain. The Spanish spelling of the name, Villafranca del Penedés, is no longer in official use...
Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari was an Italian motorcycle and racecar driver, known as Il Mantovano Volante or Nivola. He was the 1932 European Champion in Grand Prix motor racing...
was 5th in the 1500 cc Chiribiri, and in the II Spanish Grand Prix
Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix is a Formula One race currently held at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the annual Formula One championship season.-History:...
at the banked Autodrom Sitges-Terramar
Sitges Terramar
The Sitges Terramar is a former racing circuit located between Sant Pere de Ribes and Sitges near Barcelona, Catalonia. Although minor races were sporadically held on the circuit through the 1950s, it was largely abandoned after the inaugural season of 1923...
, he finished 4th.
In 1924, Alete Marconcini was Italian National Champion driving a Chiribiri 12/16 to 3 victories in the Circuito del Belfiore, the Circuito di Cremona and the Circuito del Montenero. Additionally Tazio Nuvolari won the Circuito del Savio and the Circuito del Polesine, whilst Rodolfo Caruso won the Coppa della Perugina.
In 1923 a road version was released with either a 45 CV
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(33 kW) engine or a new 65 CV (48 kW) version using 5,000 rpm. 2 years later a supercharger was added, delivering 95 CV (70 kW) at 5,700 rpm, and achieving 180 kilometre per hour.
In 1926 Piroli, the riding mechanic, was killed at the Avus
AVUS
The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, is a public road that was also used as a motor racing circuit. It is located in the south-western districts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee, and is nowadays an important part of the public highway system, as...
in Berlin on 9 July.
In 1927, the company diversified into diesel and industrial engines.
In 1925, the company was revamped and the name was changed to 'Auto Costruzioni Meccaniche Chiribiri' but sales of road going vehicles were never high, due in large part to the poor performance of the side-valve Milano whilst its higher 'aeronautical' engineering quality standards necessitated higher pricing. So, despite the 1927 venture into diesel and industrial engines, when financial depression hit Europe the company closed on 3 September 1929, its assets being sold to Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
.
Antonio Chiribiri died in April 1943. Amedeo, his son born in 1898, and Ada his daughter, had been his closest collaborators and team members, having won races, hill climbs and rallies.