About TTCC Puzzle 184: Fernandel’s Siata Amica Spider

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You may know by now that we have a soft spot for French comedy, so perhaps the choice of last week’s puzzle car was an easy one as the vehicle stars in one such movie. As Julius Thurgood wrote: “The car is a 1956 Siata Amica Spider from the 1958 Film ‘Paris Holiday’, starring Bob Hope and French comedian ‘Fernandel’. The scene attached depicts the moment when the Great Dane dog runs off after another canine, towing the little car behind him on a lead. Great website Chaps!” That’s it, very well. And as we wrote, we suspect the car to be Fernandel’s personal choice of wheels, with two photographs available showing him in the same vehicle, albeit in a different (darker) shade. Just note the similar number plate.

Now, Fernandel was perhaps the easiest part of this puzzle. As Bruno Ogorelec wrote: “The dapper man with the dog in your Tough to crack car puzzle #184 is the French film actor, comedian Fernandel. His face is completely impossible to mistake!” (that smile is indeed gold!). Right so. But the car was slightly more difficult to recognize. As Bruno continued: “I don't know about the car, but it is almost certainly a coachbuilt version of the Renault 4CV.”

Well, it’s not that, although it is a coachbuilt version of another small car: the Fiat 600. John Colley: “It looks like one of the Fiat 600 based coachbuilt cars of the mid-1950's to 1960's. It looks like it might be a Moretti by Viotti.” That exactly was our initial thought, too. But it was not that either. A real pity John, as your answer provided some more good insight info: “Fernandel was a French actor/singer who was a bit of a car enthusiast, he had owned Abarth & a favourite was a Giulietta Spider. In the film Holiday in Paris he was driven in this car & other actors were Bob Hope & Anita Ekberg. There was also another special 1100 Fiat cabriolet & a Delahaye 135.”

But as a rule our winner needs to identify the car, and so this week’s prize goes to Fried Stol. His full answer: “A little tight around the waist, but I enjoyed the ride” Bob hope says in the 1958 movie “Paris Holiday” starring French Comedian Fernandel (shown here), Bob Hope and Anita Ekberg. The car pictured is a 1956 Siata Amica Spider by Michelotti. In Italy a lot of coachbuilders and designers took the Fiat 500 and 600 as a base to create their own specials. Specialists such as Canta, Lombardi, Zagato, Viotti were amongst them. The downside however was the price compared to the real thing, so a lot of them ended in the prototype stage. Production figures of this car are unknown.” Congratulations!

(Pictures Getty)

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