Fiat 1400 Berlina Ghia

The four-door sedan variant of the Fiat 1400 Supergioiello represents a lesser-known development within Carrozzeria Ghia’s design exploration on the Fiat 1400 chassis during the early 1950s. Developed after the initial two-door coupé version and corresponding with what may be considered a second stylistic series, this sedan retained the Supergioiello nomenclature while adapting its proportions and detailing to suit a four-door configuration. The result was a vehicle that combined the refined visual language of Ghia’s earlier work with the practical requirements of a full saloon body. Built on Fiat’s standard 1400 platform, the four-door Supergioiello maintained the mechanical layout of the production model—featuring a front-mounted 1,395 cc inline-four engine, column-shifted four-speed manual transmission, and unibody construction—but received a comprehensive exterior restyling. The bodywork was distinguished by a gently sloping roofline, slightly lengthened rear overhang, and refined surface transitions, particularly in the fender treatment and side window arrangement. The front fascia followed the updated aesthetic tendencies of early 1950s Italian design, with a cleaner grille treatment and restrained ornamentation compared to the first-series coupé. Though formally elegant, the sedan variant remained firmly within the realm of limited-production coachbuilding rather than large-scale manufacturing. As with other Supergioiello-badged vehicles, its existence highlights the close collaboration between Fiat and independent carrozzieri in the postwar period, where base models served as flexible platforms for stylistic experimentation. Ghia’s treatment of the four-door 1400 illustrates the attempt to merge the mass-market utility of a family saloon with the aspirational contours of high-end design, reflecting both the creative ambitions and economic realities of the era.