![1907 Targa Florio - Vittorio Gremo in Junior 8B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/1907_Targa_Florio_-_Vittorio_Gremo_in_Junior_8B.jpg)
Fabbrica Junior Torinese d'Automobili, Ceirano Junior, Junior F.J.T.A., was an Italian automobile manufacturer based in Turin which was founded by
Giovanni Ceirano
Giovanni Ceirano ( Cuneo, 1865 - Turin, March 30, 1948) was an Italian industrialist and automotive pioneer. He cofounded 'Junior Fabbrica Automobili Torinese' in 1905, 'Società Ceirano Automobili Torino' in 1906, 'Fabbrica Automobili Ceirano' in ...
in 1905. The Junior, often known as F.J.T.A., was made from 1905 until 1909 (or 1910.
[The Complete Encyclopedia of the Motor Car, 1885 to the Present, by G.N. Georgano, Ebury Press, 1973. page 397. Junior (i); F.J.T.A. Italy, 1905 -1910])
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
Fratelli Ceirano & C was an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1901 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano and his brother Matteo Ceirano after they had left F.I.A.T. Their own automobile manufacturing business, Ceirano GB & C and its ''Welleyes'' m ...
;
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 ...
); Junior F.J.T.A. - (Fabbrica Junior Torinese d'Automobili);
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.
Lancia, the essentials
/ref> 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 1905 Giovanni also left Ceirano GB & C to found his own company - Fabbrica Junior Torinese d'Automobili, branded as Junior and F.J.T.A.
History
In 1904 Giovanni Ceirano founded the car manufacturer 'Ceirano Junior & C.' in Turin, but by 1905 he renamed it ''Fabbrica Junior Torinese d'Automobili''. By 1906 he may have left or reduced his interest as he also founded S.C.A.T. (Società Ceirano Automobili Torino), also in Turin. In 1907 the company merged with Officine Turkheimer per Automobill e Velocipedi (O.T.A.V.). Production ceased in 1909 (or 1910) but 'Momo F. & C.', one of the Italian dealers, acquired the stock and sold off the remaining vehicles.
Cars
Throughout the company's 5-year existence the cars were variously badged as ''Junior'' and ''Junior Ceirano''. The range included :
* a 9.5 hp single cylinder voiturette
A voiturette is a miniature automobile.
History
''Voiturette'' was first registered by Léon Bollée in 1895 to name his new motor tricycle. The term became so popular in the early years of the motor industry that it was used by many makers t ...
,
* a 12/14 hp twin cylinder model
* a 16/20 hp four cylinder model which resembled the standard Mercedes designs of the period. To wit - the cylinders were cast in two blocks of two cylinders, with side valves, a T-head design and chain drive to the rear wheels.
* a 28/40 hp produced from 1907 to 1909. It used a 4-cylinder 8,000cc engine that developed 45 hp, giving a top speed of 100 km / h. It was priced at 11,500 lire for the chassis and it achieved some success in the Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
of 1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...
and 1908.
Competition
On 22 April 1907 Vittorio Gremo finished 16th at the second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
. Driving a Junior 28/40 with number "8B" for the official factory team he completed 3 laps of the Madonie circuit, covering 277.42 miles in 9 hours 13 minutes 28 seconds, and finishing 56 minutes behind the winner - Felice Nazzaro
Felice Nazzaro (4 December 1881 – 21 March 1940) was an Italian racecar driver, a native of Turin. He won the Kaiserpreis in 1907 as well as the French Grand Prix in 1907 and 1922 and Targa Florio in 1907, and 1913. His European wins in 1907 r ...
in a Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
. His team mate Guido de Martino, driving a Junior 28/40 with number "8C", retired on the third lap, whilst Francesco Tololli, driving a Junior 28/40 with number "8A", did complete only one lap.[Targa Florio History - Profile of Junior](_blank)
/ref>
/ref>
On 18 May 1908 Giuseppe Tamagni finished 6th at the third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
. Driving a Junior 16/20 with number 3A for the factory team he completed 3 laps of the Madonie circuit, covering 277.42 miles in 9 hours 56 minutes 9 seconds.[TeamDan, Motoring Archive, Complete results of 1908 Targa Florio](_blank)
/ref>
See also
* Ceirano
* 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
Bibliography
* Harald Linz und Halwart Schrader: ''Die Internationale Automobil-Enzyklopädie.'' United Soft Media Verlag GmbH, München 2008,
* Nick Georgano: ''The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile, Volume 2 G–O.'' Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, (englisch)
* Autorenkollektiv: ''Enzyklopädie des Automobils. Marken · Modelle · Technik.'' Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg, 1989
* L'automobile italiana, Giunti editore, 2006
External links
Targa Florio History - Profile of Junior
{{DEFAULTSORT:Societa Torinese Automobili Rapid
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Italy
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1905
1905 establishments in Italy
Turin motor companies
Fiat
Brass Era vehicles
1900s cars