Bernardi-Miari & Giusti

Written by Administrator    Monday, 01 September 2008

Bernardi-Miari & Giusti, who between 1896 and 1901 built and sold 100 cars (in 1899 the company took the name of Motori Bernardi-Miari , Giusti & Compagnia) represented the start of the Italian motor car industry.     As in the United States, Great Britain and France , the advent of the car in Italy was accompanied by numerous ventures and dozens of models appeared and disappeared within a few years. The major figures in this initial phase were the Ceirano brothers. They were responsible for the founding of a number of companies including Welleyes, Spa, Rapid , Itala and Scat.     In 1899, Fiat, which was to become the principal Italian car manufacturer, was founded in Turin. Fiat started with a vehicle bought from Welleyes, which had been a design of Aristide Faccioli and patented by Matteo Ceirano. The man who worked hardest at launching the Welleyes cars was Cesare Goria-Gatti who, in 1898, had entered the partnership founded by Giovanni Battista Ceirano. One of the Turin Automobile publications, Marche Italiane Scomparse (defunct Italian manufacturers), lists about 300 manufacturers who survived from the early twentieth century through to the outbreak of the First World War. Apart from Fiat, Lancia in 1906 and later Alfa Romeo, also established themselves as strong and successful companies.