S.P.A.

Italy, 1906 – 1926

Società Ligure Piemontese Automobili, Turin

Matteo Ceirano’s SPA car was a finely-built, modern, generally conventional vehicle in the Italian tradition. The first SPA cars were big fours of 24 and 60hp, with side valves and live axles. There were two sixes SPA cars by 1907, one of them with its flywheel attached to the forward end of the crankshaft. By 1910 L-head monobloc engines, unit gearboxes and high-tension magneto ignition had arrived on SPA cars, and like other manufacturers, SPA cars offered a modern small four for 1912, the 14/16hp SPA car. In that year, 500 SPA cars were sold. A SPA car won the 1909 Targa Florio, gained successes in many other events, and offered sporting alternatives to their touring SPA cars, but no true competition SPA car was listed until after World War 1. This was some time coming; the immediately post-war SPA cars were a touring sv four of 2.7-litres and a six of 4.4-litres, together with a sporting SPA car of the four. Then in 1922 appeared the exciting, and advanced 30/40hp Super Sports SPA car. It had the same cubic capacity as the touring six, but its 6-cylinders each had four valves, which were operated by two overhead camshafts. The cylinder of the SPA car were of alloy, with steel liners, and aluminium pistons were used. This was an engine of racing rather than touring type. Two carburetors, dual ignition and front-wheel brakes completed a most sophisticated specification of the SPA car. The general appearance of the SPA 30/40hp was reminiscent of German sports cars of the time, for some wore a sharp V-radiator and high, straight-topped, rather square bodies.

The 30/40 SPA car, and the other SPA cars, vanished when the SPA car firm was absorbed by Fiat in 1925.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

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