1960 Triumph Italia 2000 GT

The Triumph Italia 2000 GT marries Italian coachwork with the chassis and drivetrain of a British Triumph TR3A.

Distributor Salvatore Ruffino commissioned Giovanni Michelotti to design a car appealing to those seeking mechanical reliability and the beauty of an Italian GT.

From 1959-1962, complete chassis were shipped from England to Turin, Italy, where the body and interiors were hand-built by craftsmen under Alfredo Vignale.

Ruffino aimed to build 1,000 cars for sale worldwide, but when Leyland Motors took over Standard-Triumph in 1961, the agreement was broken.

Ruffino carried on production, but eventually lost a fortune, and subsequently destroyed all original drawings and documents.