OSI 20M TS GT
Unless you have big bucks to spend,
getting your hands on an early-to-late 1960s rare Italian coachbuilt nowadays
is almost impossible. But take a look at this OSI 20M TS Coupe.
This is one of those cars you might not
have heard of, crafted by a short-lived coachbuilder that was confined to the
history books. Standing for Officine Stampaggi Industriali, OSI was founded in
1960 in Turin by former Ghia president Luigi Segre and Arrigo Olivett.
Intended to be Ghia’s independent design
branch that specialized on niche efforts, OSI built bespoke cars based on Alfa
Romeo, Fiat and Ford.
But what about the 20M TS Coupe? Well,
like its name implies, this extravagant model was based on the German Ford
Taunus 20M, and it was designed by Sergio Sartorelli, the same man who sketched
the Type 34 VW Karmann Ghia and the VW Type 3. It’s believed that approximately
2200 OSI 20M TS Coupes were built, of which only 170 – 200 are still around
today, although the exact figures are unknown.
This particular model, offered for sale
on eBay, is the 48th build, but it’s far from original. Usually, these types of
vehicles retain the donor car's underpinning, but after a comprehensive
restoration (where everything was redone, according to the owner), the OSI’s
106 hp, 2.3-litre straight-six engine was replaced with a 400+ hp Ford V8 with
four 44’ Weber carbs, and the car received a Tremec 5-speed transmission, a
Ford 8” rear axle, Wilwood disc brakes and custom adjustable coil over
suspension, among other things.
