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THE ITALIAN COACHBUILDER SITE

Meadows Frisky

1957Coachwork by Vignale

THE VEHICLE AT A GLANCE

Model dossier

Production period
1957
Body style
Coupé
Type
Prototype
Production
2

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CAR

Coachbuilding, design & conversions

PRICE & SALES RECORD

Vehicle value

Original price
Not documented
Latest recorded sale
Not documented

01 / THE STORY

History & context

The Meadows Frisky Vignale: Carrozzeria Vignale was commissioned by Raymond Flower, racing driver and Managing Director of the Cairo Motor Co Ltd, to design the bodywork for the production version of the Meadows Frisky a task they allocated to Giovanni Michelotti. The disclosure of the Meadows company involvement and the correct nomenclature Meadows Frisky was announced by the press on 11 March 1957 just prior to the Geneva Motor Show. The press release included information about the Oulton Park test run and information about the involvement of Raymond Flower in the project and Michelotti in the design. The release also stated that the Frisky would be priced at “under £400”. Vignale delivered the body of the new car directly to the Geneva show. As this left no time to install the engine, it was displayed separately in front of the car. The design retained the gull-wing door concept from The Bug and the car attracted widespread interest and acclaim. Two of these bodies were produced by Vignale, however it quickly became clear that the design would be too expensive for mass production and so work began on completely redesigning the car in time for the Earls Court Motor Show in October.

02 / TECHNICAL IDENTITY

Specifications & construction

Production & construction

Production
2
Production type
Prototype

Design & manufacture

Designer · Documented
Giovanni Michelotti
Coachbuilder / Body Builder · Documented
Vignale
Manufacturer · Documented
Henry Meadows (Vehicles) Ltd

06 / EVENTS & AWARDS

Events & awards

No events or documented awards are currently recorded for this vehicle.

08 / FROM THE ARCHIVE

Archive

References held in the vehicle dossier. Their inclusion does not establish that every historical claim has been independently verified.

ReferenceSource type
Meadows Frisky — official history meadowsfrisky.co.uk Marque official history
Meadows Frisky — Gull Wing history meadowsfrisky.co.uk Marque official prototype history

THE CONVERSATION

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