Alfa Romeo Scarabeo by OSI
Car of the Day #241: 1966 Alfa Romeo Scarabeo by OSI – Cutting Wedge
Good or bad, things tend to come in threes.
The Scarabero? OSI made three.
Let me first address the once Ghia-owned, Italian industrial design studio Officine Stampaggi Industriali, or simply OSI. I go into more depth on OSI in my story on the twin keel Silver Fox, but the firm has a short but notable history of creating some pretty impressive concepts and limited production cars.
A niche coachbuilder, the company burned bright and burned out inside of a decade; founded in 1960, its remaining employees and facilities were absorbed into FIAT by 1968.
Three Scarabeos were made, and last I checked, two of them remain in Alfa Romeo’s care. I suppose that OSI's engineering impressed the cloverleaf bosses enough to earn a permanent spot inside its archive of cars.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Two words: Gillet Vertigo.
First version of the Alfa Romeo Scarabeo by OSI, as shown at the 1966 Paris Motor Show • via Alfa Romeo, coachbuild.com foruma19
There’s a key difference between this and the (much later) Belgian car’s construction concerns where its engine is placed. The more conventional Vertigo’s engine is positioned midships, behind the front wheels. Here? Midships, behind the seats. Mechanical parts come from an Alfa Romeo Giulia, albeit re-engineered and even re-cast in parts.
A Giulia 4-cylinder GTA engine was mounted behind the seats, its suspension was independent at all four corners, had inboard rear disc brakes, and to make things interesting, its gearbox and engine block were produced as one piece.
