after the Second World War a group of managers, engineers and skilled workers decided to put to good use the experience acquired in the military sector by founding a small factory and calling it Vesuvio Automobili.
In 1946, by exploiting the excess steel and aluminum pipes and panels from the old fighter aircraft factories, the first model called 6C 2400 was produced.
It was a premium car available both in the Sedan version, with 5 seats, and in the 2-seater Coupé version.
My father had an Alfa 33 and I traveled a lot in that car when I was young and when I grew up I bought and still drive a 147 today.
I’m an admirer of the brand and the premium car of Vesuvius are a tribute to the Biscione (the snake in Alfa Romeo trademark).
In 1950 the leadership of the Vesuvio decided to move away from the semi-artisan dimension of the immediate post-war period and provided the factory with an assembly line to optimize costs and increase production.
The model 4C 1882 was a leap in quality compared to the previous because it had the ladder frame and the engine, a 1.9L 4 cylinder, with an aluminum head.
The versions of the 4C 1882 were two: Sedan 4 doors and 5 seats and Coupè 2 doors 2 seats both with premium interior and equipped with a small AM / FM radio.
Hey, here’s a little styling tip for you. You know how those round lights that stick out from the body instead of conforming to it (the ones you used for the headlights just now) don’t make any holes in the body? That means that in some cases you can see the painted body through the light, and that is the case on the 4C 1882. It can distract from the overal look of the car.
To avoid that, get that one round vent, resize it to be slightly smaller than the light, and then drag it underneath the light. You can also make it chrome, in case it pokes through the reflector, so it does not stand out that much.
In 1955, with the aim of maximizing production capacity and economizing machining processes, production of model 4C 1290 began.
the 4C 1290 was the first car of the Vesuvio to have the monocoque, the rear suspension with a semi trail arms and the front brakes with power brakes.
The versions available were the Sedan (4 doors / 5 seats) and the Coupé (2 doors / 2 seats) both equipped with premium interior and FM radio.
The 4C 1290 was a great success with 131,976 units sold from 1955 to 1961.
In 1956 the 4C 1290 SV was built, a Fast Sprint in Italian language, in order to compete in the category up to 1.3L of the various GT championships.
117 copies of SV were sold to numerous private motorsport teams
The SV obtained in his career numerous victories including those, among the cars of the same category, in Le Mans and in Sebring.
In 1957 the Italian-American importer Luca Mariotto convinced the management of the Vesuvio to build a Spider with premium interiors to be sold in the US.
The 4C Spider model, equipped with a 1.9L engine, was sold in 3,449 pieces from 1957 to 1960.
Because in Italy the street apart big city and autoroute was, and is, very bad. Lol Lol
True is because to have a minimum of comfort without having to calibrate the dampers too soft and have excessive roll angles (a little problem of the beta version).
Continuing its expansion process in 1960, the Vesuvio opened a new, larger factory and offices and design remained at the site of the old plant. The first series of the 4C 1570 model was put into production in 1962 and presented numerous improvements compared to the previous model: galvanized steel chassis, all-aluminum engine and hydraulic steering. The available versions were Sedan (4 doors / 5 seats) and Coupè (2 doors / 2 seats) with premium interior.
From 1970 to 1975 the second series of model 4C 1570 was built, which compared to the first series had 5 HP more, reduced fuel consumption thanks to the introduction of the 5-speed gearbox and some plastic profiles were applied externally.
The two series of the 4C 1570 sold 580,000 copies.
From 1966 to 1972 it was produced in 500 copies, sold to private motorsport teams, the 4C 1570 GTA which won the title “European Challenge Brands” from 1966 to 1968.
In 1965 the leaders of the Vesuvio decided to produce the 4C Junior model a Sedan (4porte / 4posti) with a basic set-up that fitted an improved version in the power and economic efficiency of the 1.3L engine mounted on the 4C 1290.
The 4C Junior was produced from 1965 to 1970 in 145,000 copies.
With the beginning of the 70s and the consequent economic crisis it became clear that if Vesuvio wanted to continue to compete on the market it had to remodel its range of cars and for the first time a Hatckback model was designed.
In 1971 the VH model was produced which was a real revolution because it was the first car with basic interiors and front wheel drive to be mass produced by Vesuvio.
The VH model was produced in three series, all consisting of the 5-door and 3-door versions with 5 seats.
The first series had the McPherson front suspension and disc brakes on the 4 wheels. The engine was a 1.2-liter 63-horsepower.
In 1981 the third series came out, which saw the replacement of all the chrome with the plastic and the new rear lights. The 1.3-liter engine was brought to 85 hp.
The VH model was produced from 1971 to 1983 and was a great commercial success with 1,000,000 vehicles sold.
The Vesuvius did not abandon its constructive philosophy and also produced the premium 4C Campania model.
The 4C Campania model was produced in two series composed of 4 doors / 5 seats and 2 doors / 2 seats.
The first series went into production in 1976 and was equipped with a 1.8-liter and 91-horsepower engine.
The second series went into production in 1981 and fitted a 2.0-liter and 100-horsepower engine. The biggest news was the plastic band that ran along the side of the car.
The 4C Campania was sold from 1976 to 1984 in 380,000 copies.
The most important car from the technological point of view was the GTV which fitted the first turbo engine produced by Vesuvio.
from 1975 to 1979 100 specimens were produced, all sold to private motorsport teams.
The photos depict the GTV, of the Mazza team, winner of the Italian group 2 championship in 1978
In 1983 the Vulcano model was put into production to replace the VH as the standard Sedan and car access to the brand.
The Vulcano model was produced in three series and sold 990,000 copies.
The first series produced from 1983 to 1985 had corrosion-resistant steel panels and fitted with a 96-horsepower aspirated engine.
In 1985 the 4C 1.8T premium car was introduced, the first production car of Vesuvio with a turbo engine, available in two Sedan and Coupé versions.
The first series was produced from 1985 to 1988 had a geared LSD differential and the ABS and engine produced 118 horsepower.
In 1980 the GTV V6 was produced in only four units thanks to the collaboration between the V and the Mazza Racing Team.
The GTV V6 won for four consecutive years, 1982-1985, the European tourism championship.
