page_title: Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi
section_title: 1960s
hierarchical_section_title: Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi / History / 1960s
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Fiat 500 Francis Lombardi My Car del 1971
context_page_description: The Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi was founded in 1947 in Vercelli, Italy, by noted pilot Carlo "Francis" Lombardi. They originally engaged in some aeronautical design, but this soon ended. Their most famous car was the Lombardi Grand Prix, which was also marketed under a variety of other names such as O.T.A.S. and Abarth. The company was closed in 1973.
context_section_description: Francis Lombardi also developed four-door versions of the Fiat 600, 850, and 127. This series of small four-door saloons was called "Lucciola" by Lombardi. The first one was the 600 Lucciola which appeared in early 1957; in addition to four doors without a B-pillar (the rear door opening backwards) it also had a floor mounted shifter unlike a regular 600. Francis Lombardi's greatest commercial success was with the luxuriously appointed Fiat 500 called "My Car"; which supported an annual production of about 6,000 cars in the sixties, up from about 1,500 towards the late fifties. The Fiat 850 Lucciola was also used by Spain's SEAT for their 850 four-door sedan, although eventually they developed their own, longer version.
  At the end of the sixties, the Lombardi Grand Prix appeared, the closest thing to an independent design from the firm. This model had a convoluted history and was sold in small numbers under a variety of names until 1972, fitted with Fiat engines in various states of tune. Francis Lombardi continued to focus on modifying cars as well, building coupés on Fiat as well as on NSU basis (1000 TTS). In the 1970s they made special versions of the Fiat 128 and Lancia 2000, but in 1973 their doors were closed for good. Ten years later, Carlo Lombardi died.
caption: Francis Lombardi Fiat 500 My Car
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