<< Prev Page 2 of 2 For the following year, Dusio had commissioned the development of a two-seater version of the D46, which would be referred to as the 202. By that time Giacosa had stopped moonlighting for Cisitalia but he had left enough drawings for the 202 to be constructed in time for the 1947 Mille Miglia. Savonuzzi did stay and he penned an attractive, all-enveloping body both in Coupe and Spyder form. Depending on the body fitted, the new racers were referred to as 202 CMM and 202 SMM respectively.
Cisitalia fielded no fewer than three Spyders and two Coupes for the 1947 Mille Miglia. Nuvolari was in one of the open cars and despite being 55 years old at the time and suffering from respiratory problems, the 'Flying Mantuan' not only lead the Cisitalia charge, he was also leading the race outright at the halfway mark. He nearest rival was Clemente Biondetti in a 2.9 litre Alfa Romeo. Unfortunately, Nuvolari lost valuable time on the leg back to Brescia after heavy rain drowned his engine. He eventually finished second behind Biondetti and the oft repeated but impossible to verify story is that Nuvolari lost more than the 16-minute deficit stranded on the road side.
Although Cisitalias also placed third and fourth, it was Nuvolari's epic effort that stood and henceforth the 202 SMM was simply known as the Nuvolari Spyder. It is believed that a total of 21 such competition Spyders were built with a further six based on slightly more docile underpinnings. The 202 chassis later received further accolades when a Pinin Farina designed and bodied Coupe became one of just six cars added to the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. This classic design greatly influenced Italian stylists for decades to come.
Dusio's ambitions had helped establish Cisitalia as one of Italy's leading racing car manufacturers within a matter of months. Sadly they also proved the company's downful as Dusio commissioned Ferdinand Porsche to construct a mid-engined, four-wheel drive Grand Prix car. This drained all of the company's resources, a fraction of which could have been used to continue developing the existing models further. As a result Cisitalia's first sports racer, sadly also remained its greatest. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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202 CMM Vignale Coupe
For the following year, Dusio had commissioned the development of a two-seater version of the D46, which would be referred to as the 202. By that time Giacosa had stopped moonlighting for Cisitalia but he had left enough drawings for the 202 to be constructed in time for the 1947 Mille Miglia. Savonuzzi did stay and he penned an attractive, all-enveloping body both in Coupe and Spyder form. Depending on the body fitted, the new racers were referred to as 202 CMM and 202 SMM respectively.