1907 Diatto A Clément 4X 25-35HP Chassis No: 603 Coachwork by Fabbrica Torinese di Carrozzeria. In the early part of the nineteenth century Guglielmo Diatto was a wheelwright with a business in Turin. In 1835 he formed a company to make "carriages for wealthy customers", and in subsequent decades his two sons, Giovanni and Battista, expanded the company into a large engineering group manufacturing rolling stock for railways throughout Europe. In 1905 Diatto decided to set up a business manufacturing automobiles. To this end a cooperative venture was formed with Clément-Baynard of France. The company produced several models, the 4X 25-35HP being the largest and most powerful. In common with many cars from the Edwardian/Brass car period the transmission was chain drive. Diatto was to become an important manufacturer in the automobile world  producing frames for Bugatti, their own series of race cars prepared by Alfieri Maserati, who worked at Diatto, and even a supercharged 8 cylinder design. Some of the early Maserati race cars were in fact built by Diatto. The competition and racing results achieved by the company were extensive, and fill several pages of results.  Races included the 1907 Targa Florio, the 1908 St. Petersburg to Moscow Race, The Coppa d'Italia and many more. The company ceased production in 1929.
This fascinating and unique car, chassis 603, has never before been offered for sale on the open market. It is remarkably original never having been restored. The paint and leather trim are clearly battered and worn, and can only be described has having exceptional "patina" It is, however, in excellent mechanical order having been carefully maintained. Recent work has included fitting new chains, an electric starter, overhauling the magneto, the shock absorbers, the water pump and radiator, and the fitting of new tyres. The only non-original part of the car were the wheels, the original wooden originals having deteriorated in the 1930's and replaced with metal ones.  A new set of wooden wheels have now been manufactured to the original specification.
It seems the car was in London in 1912, owned by an optometrist called Engel. He moved to Johannesburg taking the Diatto with him. Apparently he was approached by Jeffs Watson, a very well known collector who was one of the founder members of the Sports Car Club of South Africa. Watson owned several important cars including a Bugatti 57S and a Bentley Speed Six. He always wanted to buy the Diatto, but Engel refused to sell. Engel died in about 1935 still owning the car which he left to a local technical college. In about 1937 Watson finally manage to purchase the car, and it remained in his family until 2013. It appears no other example exits, and there is some suggestion it is the car that Felice Buzzio drove on the 1907 Targa Florio. Indeed the coachwork is by  Fabbrica Torinese di Carrozzeria, (it is, in fact, the only known example of their work  that exits). The original manufacturer's documentation states the cars were supplied with factory coachwork. The car that raced in the St. Petersburg to Moscow race of 1908 was re-bodied after the race as a bus. It was chassis 611. Perhaps 603 was also re-bodied after the 1907 Targa Florio, but unfortunately nobody has been able to identify the chassis number of the race car. Sadly the Diatto factory suffered a major fire in 1922 and many records were lost. The car was however was accepted and took part in the 2016 Targa Florio, where it performed extremely well.  Very few Edwardian/Brass era cars have survived that are as original as this car. This is a unique opportunity to acquire a fascinating original car from the Edwardian era that is virtually untouched from new, and still running well.