In 1928, along the lively artisan avenue of Via Madama Cristina in Turin, Serafino Allemano opened his independent coachbuilding workshop (*Carrozzeria Allemano*). Unlike mass-production industrial bodyworks, Allemano remained dedicated to the purest tradition of the Italian *battilastra*: shaping aluminum sheets by hand over wooden bucks to dress rolling chassis from Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Cisitalia, and Maserati into rolling kinetic sculptures.
The Master of Proportions and Postwar Masterpieces
Serafino Allemano (1896–1983) learned his trade during the golden age of Turin craftsmanship, starting initially with bespoke repairs and specialized re-bodying of luxury chassis. By the mid-1930s, his acute eye for stance, beltline curvature, and aerodynamic elegance earned him direct commissions from private racers and elite marques alike.
Allemano’s golden era flourished in the late 1940s and 1950s. Collaborating closely with legendary stylist Giovanni Michelotti, Allemano sculpted unforgettable silhouettes: the Cisitalia 202 Berlinetta variants, the jewel-like Fiat 1100 TV Coupé, the ferocious Abarth 750 and 850 Scorpione, and above all, the breathtaking 1954–1956 Maserati A6G/54 Coupé and the 1959 Maserati 5000 GT. Each automobile that rolled out of Via Madama Cristina was unique—a bespoke suit in hand-hammered duralumin.
Industrial Memory in the San Salvario District
When Carrozzeria Allemano ceased operations in 1965 due to the inexorable rise of unibody mass assembly, Turin lost one of its most refined artisanal institutions. Yet the physical space of Via Madama Cristina 110 remains deeply etched into the architectural fabric of the San Salvario district, preserving the industrial rhythm of high-ceilinged workshops that once echoed with the rhythmic strike of wooden mallets.
Today, Allemano-bodied sports cars command pride of place at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Pebble Beach, their enduring value celebrating an interwar artisan who proved that an automobile could be as immortal as a marble statue.
Concorso d'Eleganza e l'arte dei grandi carrozzieri torinesi
Raro filmato d'archivio storico dell'Istituto Luce che mostra i maestri battilastra e le splendide carrozzerie fuoriserie al Salone dell'Automobile di Torino negli anni Trenta. (Fonte: Archivio Storico Istituto Luce Cinecittà)
Interactive 360° Heritage View: Historic Workshop Site — Carrozzeria Allemano
Historical Location: Via Madama Cristina 110, 10126 Torino TO, Italy (Coordinates: 45.04803, 7.67793)
Historical Archive Gallery
