Fratelli Ceirano & C was an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1901 by
Giovanni Battista Ceirano
Giovanni Battista Ceirano (1 October 1860 – 1912) was an Italian entrepreneur and car pioneer. The first motorcar he designed and built was the Well-Eyes, but he sold the rights to Giovanni Agnelli of F.I.A.T. who manufactured it in volume as t ...
and his brother
Matteo Ceirano
Matteo Ceirano (1870 in Cuneo – 19 March 1941 in Torino) was an Italian businessman in the early automobile industry who co-founded the manufacturers Ceirano; Itala Fabbrica Automobili in 1904 and Società Piemontese Automobili (S.P.A. ...
after they had left
F.I.A.T.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts and production systems. The Italian holding company Exor was the largest s ...
Their own automobile manufacturing business,
Ceirano GB & C
Ceirano GB & C was a historic automobile company, founded in October 1888 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano, Emanuele di Bricherasio, Attilio Calligaris, Pietro Fenoglio and Cesare Goria Gatti.
The new company was based in Turin, where it began to b ...
and its ''Welleyes'' motorcar, had been taken over by
Giovanni Agnelli
Giovanni Agnelli (13 August 1866 – 16 December 1945) was an Italian businessman, who founded Fiat car manufacturing in 1899.
Early life
The son of Edoardo Agnelli and Aniceta Frisetti, he was born in 1866 in Villar Perosa, a small town near ...
and his new F.I.A.T. consortium in 1899, whereupon the ''Welleyes'' was marketed as the
F.I.A.T. 4HP, the first ever Fiat. The Ceiranos were not satisfied as employees and 'Italian sales agents' of F.I.A.T. so they founded Fratelli Ceirano & C in Turin, which, by July 1903 had morphed into
Società Torinese Automobili Rapid
Società Torinese Automobili Rapid, also known as S.T.A.R. and Rapid, was an Italian car manufacturer founded by Giovanni Battista Ceirano in Turin in July 1904. ''Rapid'' was its trademark. In 1921 it was acquired by the S.P.A. (Società Piem ...
(S.T.A.R.), and the cars were badged as Rapid.
Ceirano family background
The Ceirano brothers,
Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista was a common Italian given name (see Battista for those with the surname) in the 16th-18th centuries. It refers to "John the Baptist" in English, the French equivalent is "Jean-Baptiste". Common nicknames include Giambattista, Gia ...
,
Giovanni Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
,
Ernesto Ernesto, form of the name Ernest in several Romance languages, may refer to:
* ''Ernesto'' (novel) (1953), an unfinished autobiographical novel by Umberto Saba, published posthumously in 1975
** ''Ernesto'' (film), a 1979 Italian drama loosely ba ...
and
Matteo
Matteo is the Italian form of the given name Matthew. Another form is Mattia. The Hebrew meaning of Matteo is "gift of god". Matteo can also be used as a patronymic surname, often in the forms of de Matteo, De Matteo or DeMatteo, meaning " escen ...
, were influential in the founding of the Italian auto industry, being variously responsible for :
Ceirano;
Welleyes (the technical basis of F.I.A.T.); Fratelli Ceirano;
S.T.A.R. / Rapid (
Società Torinese Automobili Rapid
Società Torinese Automobili Rapid, also known as S.T.A.R. and Rapid, was an Italian car manufacturer founded by Giovanni Battista Ceirano in Turin in July 1904. ''Rapid'' was its trademark. In 1921 it was acquired by the S.P.A. (Società Piem ...
);
SCAT (Società Ceirano Automobili Torino);
Itala
Itala was a car manufacturer based in Turin, Italy, from 1904 to 1934, started by Matteo Ceirano and five partners in 1903.
Ceirano family background
The Ceirano brothers, Giovanni Battista, Giovanni, Ernesto and Matteo, were influential in the ...
and
S.P.A. (Società Piemontese Automobili). Giovanni's son
Giovanni "Ernesto" was also influential, co-founding
Ceirano Fabbrica Automobili
Ceirano Fabbrica Automobili, or Ceirano Giovanni Fabbrica Automobili or Giovanni Ceirano Fabbrica AutomobiliThe Complete Encyclopedia of the Motor Car, 1885 to the Present, by G.N. Georgano, Ebury Press, 1973. page 177. Ceirano ii Italy, 1919-193 ...
(aka
Giovanni Ceirano Fabbrica Automobili) and
Fabrica Anonima Torinese Automobili (FATA).
In 1888, after eight years apprenticeship at his father's watch-making business, Giovanni Battista started building ''Welleyes'' bicycles, so named because English names had more sales appeal.
In October 1898 Giovanni Battista and Matteo co-founded
Ceirano GB & C
Ceirano GB & C was a historic automobile company, founded in October 1888 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano, Emanuele di Bricherasio, Attilio Calligaris, Pietro Fenoglio and Cesare Goria Gatti.
The new company was based in Turin, where it began to b ...
and started producing the ''Welleyes'' motor car in 1899. In July 1899 the plant and patents were sold to
Giovanni Agnelli
Giovanni Agnelli (13 August 1866 – 16 December 1945) was an Italian businessman, who founded Fiat car manufacturing in 1899.
Early life
The son of Edoardo Agnelli and Aniceta Frisetti, he was born in 1866 in Villar Perosa, a small town near ...
and produced as the first
F.I.A.T.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts and production systems. The Italian holding company Exor was the largest s ...
s - the
Fiat 4 HP
The Fiat 4 HP (also known as the 3½ HP or 3½ CV) was the first model of car produced by FIAT, from 1899 to 1900 based on a third party design.
Background
The 4 HP is related to the Ceirano brothers—Giovanni, Ernesto and Matteo—who were an ...
. Giovanni Battista was employed by Fiat as the agent for Italy, but within a year he left to found Fratelli Ceirano & C. which in 1903 became
Società Torinese Automobili Rapid
Società Torinese Automobili Rapid, also known as S.T.A.R. and Rapid, was an Italian car manufacturer founded by Giovanni Battista Ceirano in Turin in July 1904. ''Rapid'' was its trademark. In 1921 it was acquired by the S.P.A. (Società Piem ...
(S.T.A.R.) building cars badged as 'Rapid'. In 1904
Matteo Ceirano
Matteo Ceirano (1870 in Cuneo – 19 March 1941 in Torino) was an Italian businessman in the early automobile industry who co-founded the manufacturers Ceirano; Itala Fabbrica Automobili in 1904 and Società Piemontese Automobili (S.P.A. ...
left Ceirano GB & C to create his own brand -
Itala
Itala was a car manufacturer based in Turin, Italy, from 1904 to 1934, started by Matteo Ceirano and five partners in 1903.
Ceirano family background
The Ceirano brothers, Giovanni Battista, Giovanni, Ernesto and Matteo, were influential in the ...
. In 1906 Matteo left Itala to found
S.P.A. (Società Piemontese Automobili) with chief designer, Alberto Ballacco. In 1906 Giovanni founded
SCAT (Società Ceirano Automobili Torino) in Turin. In 1919 Giovanni and Giovanni "Ernesto" co-founded
Ceirano Fabbrica Automobili
Ceirano Fabbrica Automobili, or Ceirano Giovanni Fabbrica Automobili or Giovanni Ceirano Fabbrica AutomobiliThe Complete Encyclopedia of the Motor Car, 1885 to the Present, by G.N. Georgano, Ebury Press, 1973. page 177. Ceirano ii Italy, 1919-193 ...
(aka
Giovanni Ceirano Fabbrica Automobili) and in 1922 they took control of
Fabrica Anonima Torinese Automobili (FATA).
See also
*
List of Italian companies
Italy is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe with the third largest nominal GDP in the Eurozone and the eighth largest in the world. As an advanced economy the country also has the sixth worldwide national wealth and it is ranked third fo ...
*
References
* This article contains some content translated from Spanish Wikipedia.
External links
Storia e Cultura Dell Industria. Profile of S.T.A.R. Storia. Image of STAR Rapid advertisement poster.Storia e Cultura Dell Industria. Profile of Ceirano & C. Protagonisti. Image of STAR Rapid advertisement poster.*
ttp://www.targaflorio.info/rapid.htm Targa Florio 1907 - Image of 'Le RAPID di GALLINA'.
{{Fiat Group
Ceirano family
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Italy
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1901
Italian companies established in 1901
Turin motor companies
Fiat
Brass Era vehicles
1900s cars