Chiribiri

Chiribiri (l'Auto Costruzioni Meccaniche Chiribiri) was an Italian automobile company, also dedicated to the manufacture of aeronautical engines.

History

Le Rhône 9J Aircraft Engine manufactured by Chiribiri (San Pelagio Air and Space Museum, Due Carrare).

Chassis of a "Monza Type" of 1924

Antonio "Dad" Chiribiri, a Venetian businessman, together with Maurizio Ramassotto and the engineer Gaudenzio Verga founded in 1910 a small company the "Torinese Velivoli Chiribiri & C." which at first is dedicated to the construction of pieces of aeronautical material, although later they get a license to manufacture aircraft engines of the brand "Gnome et Rhone". Next to the factory they also open a pilot school through which several aces of Italian aviation passed during World War I.

In 1914 Count Gustavo Brunetta d'Usseaux commissioned Chiribiri to manufacture a hundred cars, as he wanted to market them to enter industrial activity. However, financial difficulties prevent the car from passing beyond the prototype. The first Chiribiri car project was named "Siva" and it was a "voiturette" 4-cylinder, 980 cc and two seats. To reduce losses, Chiribiri decides to continue the adventure by himself, although increasing the displacement to 1300 cc (12 HP model). Production continued at a reduced pace and after the war Chiribiri decided to dedicate all the company's activity to the automobile factory. In 1919 he began marketing the 1593cc 12HP with a power of 19 CV.

Chiribiri's children, Ada and Amadeo ("Deo"), amateur pilots, encouraged their father to manufacture a racing model, the 12 HP Monza. In 1922 "Deo" and the Englishman Jack Scales compete in several races demonstrating the competitiveness of the small Chiribiri. In 1923 the Chiribiri team incorporated the new but brilliant pilots of the Ansaldo team, Tazio Nuvolari, Alete Marconcini and Luigi Platé, achieving with them the best results of the brand.

The Roma 5000 model (also a 1500 cc 4-cylinder) is launched in 1922, as well as the most famous Chiribiri: the "vetturetta bialbero" road, sport and the supercharged version of 1925 with 93 CV and which reached 180 km/h due to its great lightness.

Despite some sporting successes, sales of "l'Auto Costruzioni Meccaniche Chiribiri" (name adopted in 1925) were never very high and the economic crisis at the end of the 1920s caused the closure of the factory in September 1929, selling the industrial land to Lancia.