The First Success
1952 PMI Zelo 252 Export
Rizzi Ioli was unhappy with the Inter automobiles. He found them lacking in styling, and betraying the duo’s racing pedigree. With the development on the way of a newer, larger V12 overhead cam powerplant, he sought out Fininparina to style him a grand tourer coupe.
The resulting car, the Zelo 252 Export, made use of the new 2563 cc (68,0 mm x 58,8 mm) OHV engine, and with simply yet elegant design, it was to become the first poster car of Zelo line-up; an instant classic. The chassic was a monocoque, but the suspension was less advanced that its pure race-bred predecessor platforms, with leaf springs in the rear.
Colombio, unhappy to be left out of the design process and feeling passed, saw nontheless the potentional in the car. To ensure domestic sales of the Inter line-up was not disrupted, he vetoed sale in Italy itself, but marketed the car specifically for the export markets.
Biggest innovation was the 5-speed manual gearbox, transferring the 120 available horses (at 5600 rpm) to the rear wheels. The engine produced 194 Nm of torque at 2400 rpm, and was able to run optimally on generally available fuel. Later Zelos would require higher quality commercial fuel to run smoothly.
Stats – 252 Export:
Suspension: F/R: Independent double wishbone / Leaf springs
Engine: Cast Iron 2563 cc V12 OHC-24, single-barrel triple-carburated
Drivetrain: Front-engined rear-wheel-drive
Weight: 1039 kg
Top speed: 179 kph
Acceleration: 0-100 in 8,8 seconds
Fuel Economy: 10,0 l/100 km at 50 kph; 10,3 l/100 km at 80 kph
Braking performance: 80-0: 30,9 meters
Wheels: F/R: P155/ 90C15 103B
1955 PMI Zelo 315 Export
In 1955, the Export, as it was now know, despite also being availble within Italy at this point, received a facelift. The tail got longer and the front was slightly revised, with additional headlights built into the front grille.
The model year also introduced a second engine option, a large 75,0 mm stroke x 59,4 mm bore V12, developed by Colombio, and dubbed the “Umbria”. The resulting 3149 cc engine produced 180 horsepower at 5400 rpm and 266 Nm at 3400 rpm.
The 315 Export gained a following because of its performance, with a top speed exceeding 200 km/h. But the 252 Export remained popular as well, due to its more nimble performance and higher every-day usability. The larger engined car sent a lot of power to those rear wheels, and more than one example was totalled in high speed crashes.
Stats – 315 Export:
Suspension: F/R: Independent double wishbone / Leaf springs
Engine: Cast Iron 3149 cc V12 OHC-24, double-barrel triple-carburated
Drivetrain: Front-engined rear-wheel-drive
Weight: 1118 kg
Top speed: 208 kph
Acceleration: 0-100 in 8,0 seconds
Fuel Economy: 10,6 l/100 km at 50 kph; 9,5 l/100 km at 80 kph
Braking performance: 80-0: 31,4 meters
Wheels: F/R: P155/ 90C15 103Z
