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329 of these gorgeous four seater sports coupe's were made between 1959 and 1962. The car was the brainchild of Italian Triumph Importer Salvatore Ruffino. The following is a quote from the sales brochure:
"Italian bodywork at its best, British tradition in sports car engineering at its finest. Ruffino S.p.A. Industria Costruzione Automobili presents the Italia 2000 Coupe a new Gran Turismo car of international class. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti, one of the world's leading stylists, and built by Alfredo Vignale, an artist in his line, the Italia 2000 Coupe incorporates the world famous chassis and engine of the Triumph TR3A. From the moment of its appearance on the international scene, the expert, the sports car enthusiast and the general public have acclaimed this brilliant match between incomparability of line and outstanding performance. Italian artistry and British craftsmanship have come together and produced this new, superlativeltalia 2000 Coupe'' Sales Brochure photo below:
Ruffino had an agreement with Triumph that each of the 720 Triumph dealerships worldwide would purchase one car and display it in their showroom, however Standard Triumph was in poor financial condition and when they were taken over by Leyland the agreement was cancelled. Michelotti used many of the design elements from the Italia on the new TR4 which was a much cheaper car. Ruffino lost a lot of money on the project and after Triumph withdrew their support the final cars were assembled and badged as Italia 2000.
Options included Borrani wire wheels, Nardi wooden steering wheel and leather upholstery. At the time of manufacture most cars did not feature these options, but they are frequently added to restored examples. The cars are now highly prized by collectors and I would definitely have one in my collection if I had the money! Hopefully GT7 can put one in my virtual garage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Italia
