Description
The 508 Balilla was developed between 1932 and 1937 by some of the leading Italian automotive engineers of the time, including Nebbia, Fessia, Giacosa and Tranquillo Zerbi. The aim was to incorporate some of the features of high class cars into an affordable car. The car was unveiled on April 12, 1932 during a car show at the Fiera Milano fairgrounds.
Many believe that the “Balilla” was connected to Italian fascism, but the origin of the name actually predates the Italian fascist movement. “Balilla” was the dialect nickname of a Genovese boy named Giovanni Battista Perasso, who in 1746 – so the story goes – threw stones at an Austrian officer in protest against the Austrian military occupation. The action led to a Genoese uprising against the Austrians and this Balilla became a local hero in northern Italy.
