Officine Stampaggi Industriali SpA (OSI) History
Officine Stampaggi Industriali SpA was an Italian manufacturer of automobiles from Turin, Italy in the 1960s.
History
Arrigo Olivetti and Luigi Segre founded the company in Turin in 1960. The goal was the development and production of bodies and complete automobiles. From 1963 complete vehicles were marketed under the brand name OSI. In 1968, the company went bankrupt.
Several well-known automotive designers worked for OSI in the course of the existence, partly as employees, partly on a freelance basis, including Virgil Max Exner jr., Tom Tjaarda , Giovanni Michelotti , Giorgio Batistella , Sergio Coggiola , Sergio Sartorelli , Werner Hölbl and Paul Breuer . Another person who was repeatedly associated with OSI was Pietro Sibona, who was a co-owner of Carrozzeria Sibona-Basano from 1962 until the end of 1966. In the early 1960s, he worked as a metalworking and processing master at Ghia, where he ran several Supervised prototypes, which then went into series production at OSI; At the end of 1966, he gave up his self-employment and, at the suggestion of Sergio Sartorelli, took over as head of the prototype workshop in the Centro Stile e Esperienze, which had meanwhile been created by OSI.
Despite other notable achievements based on production models and some important prototypes, such as the " Bisiluro " and the " Scarabeo ", OSI had a short life in the panorama of Italian coachbuilders.
Corporate disputes caused the resignation of Eng. Bianco and the closure of the company style centre, in December 1967. The production of series cars and prototypes continued, entrusted to the management of Sartorelli, in order to complete the orders received, but from January 1968 a fast diaspora of workers began. highly qualified. In 1968, on the advice of Sartorelli, Dante Giacosa decided to absorb the OSI technicians and designers into the FIAT style centre. OSI stopped working on body shops, continuing its activity in the industrial moulding sector.
Initially, different bodies for models of Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Innocenti.
These included the Alfa Romeo 2600 Berlina de Luxe, the Fiat 2300 S Coupe, the Fiat 1300 station wagon, the Fiat 1500 station wagon and the Innocenti Spider.
As OSI 1200 S appeared in 1963, the first OSI marketed vehicle. This was a convertible based on the Fiat 1100, with four-cylinder engine, 1221 cc displacement and 58 hp Power.
The most widely used model was the Ford Anglia Torino 105E with about 10000 pieces. Also known is the OSI Ford 20 M TS. The coupe was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966. The basis was the Ford 20M.
1968 ended production. The Spectacular Prototype Bisiluro Silver Fox attracted much attention to the company at the 1967 Motor Show in Turin, but was unable to stop the company's demise.
