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Quick history on Italian Automobiles:

1895
Enrico Bernardi builds the first Italian car. An engineering professor at the University of Padua. The car had three wheels much like the first Benz.

1898
Fiat is started.
Giovanni Agnelli and partners founded a small firm in Turin that becomes Fiat.

1901
Isotta Fraschini
Isotta established, equivalent of Duesenberg, Rolls-Royce or Bugatti. Known for supreme engineering and world-class styling.

1906
Lancia Founded.
Vincenzo Lancia first prototype is destroyed by fire in 1907.

First Targa Florio Race
Vincenzo Florio conceived a race over the mountains and through the woods & villages of Sicily. Three laps of 150km. Driver Gino Macaluso called it "perfume, color and the extraordinary passion of people celebrating".

1908
Lancia produces first production car the Alpha with a 4 cylinder.

1909
Lancia introduces the Beta automobile.

1910
Alfa begins.
Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili or A.L.F.A. for short produces first car in a new factory outside of Milan.

1912
Bertone Founded
Giovanni Bertone creates company that produces body parts and components for other companys.

1919
Carrozzeria Zagato begins Zagato, a bodyworks and design company. Zagato's impact on Italian car design was major.

There have also been Zagato bodied Alfas, Lancias, Fiats, Porsches, Maseratis, Bristols, Aston Martins, OSCAs and even a Jaguar XK140 along the way. The Zagato family is still very much in control of the company today.

1923
Ghia founded.
Giacinto Ghia started his own coach building firm.

1926
First Maserati built named the Tipo 26.

1927
First Mille Miglia Giovanni Canestrini, Renzo Castagneto, Aymo Maggi and Giacomo Mazzotti all came from Brescia. The race began in Brescia, traveled 1000 miles to Rome and back; Florence, Ferrara and Verona were among the stops along the way. Interrupted by World War II, it would become one of the most famous motorsports events in the world.

1932
Alfieri Maserati, dies

1936
Alfa 8C 2900 is created The most significant pre-War Alfa, and certainly one of the most important cars in the Alfa history, the 8C 2900 was a fast race car. The production version, dubbed 2900 B was the world's fastest sports car.

1937
Fiat 500 Topolino introduced.

1938
Vittorio Jano leaves Alfa to join Lancia in 1938.

1939
Maserati wins at Indy.

Maserati running as the Boyle Specials took back-to-back wins in 1939-40 at the hands of American driver Wilbur Shaw. They were the first, and so far only, Indy wins for Italian cars. Shaw, became Indys first three-time winner in 1940, previously winning in 1937.
Indy History

World War II

1947
The First Ferrari is built.

Cisitalia 202 Debuts.
This Pinin Farina body design defined post-war sports car design.

OSCA Formed by Maserati Brothers
The Officina Specializzata Costruzione Automobili Fratelli Maserati (OSCA for short) in Bologna, Italy. Intent on building race cars, their top success was the 1500 OSCA Sport that helped Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd win a class victory at Sebring in 1954.

1948
Vignale Founded Alfredo Vignale starts his own carrozzezia in Turin

1949
Ferrari wins at Le Mans!
Luigi Chinetti drove a 2-liter Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta.

1950
Alfa Romeo 1900
A virtually all-new Alfa for a new decade, it served as the bridge between pre-war Alfas and the Giulietta that was to follow in 1954. Several carrozzeria contributed body designs, but most were done by Touring. Handsome, well-built, and collector's prizes among today's Alfisti.

1951
Scaglietti Body Works is formed outside of Modena. The coachworks constructor of choice by Ferrari, relationship continues presently.

1955
Fiat
Styling Hires Giorgetto Giugiaro one of the most legendary careers in automotive design. From Fiat, Giugiaro designed for Bertone, then Ghia, to forming his own firm, Italdesign, in 1968.

1952
Siata 208S & Other Fiat 8V Projects The Siata 208S, was introduced somewhat resembling a scaled down Cobra, using the all new 70-degree overhead valve 2-liter V8. The 8V moniker came from Fiat's understanding that the term "V8" had been patented by Henry Ford. Alberto Ascari won in ï52 & ï53 on the Italian race circuit for Ferrari.

1953
Alfa B.A.T. Cars.
Franco Scaglione designs three aerodynamic studies for Alfa, dubbed the B.A.T.s. The first, B.A.T. appeared in 1955.

1955
Ferrari or Lancia?
Nobody questions Fangio's greatness as a driver, but his ride to the 1956 F1 driving title is considered by some to be more Lancia than Ferrari. Lancia was developing the D50 F1 car when the company was sold to industrialist Carlo Pesenti. He padlocked the racing department, and the project was inherited„some say at no cost by Ferrari. Jano went with the package and Fangio wheeled the result to another world driving championship.

1957
Final Mille Miglia (1927-1967), won by Piero Taruffi in a Ferrari

Piero Taruffi, at the wheel of a 4.1-liter Ferrari, won the final "real" Mille. The event continued in rally form from 1958-60, then was abandoned entirely.

1957
Maserati IFS title.
Fangio drove the all-conquering 250F Maserati to yet another world driving title for himself, and Maserati's last as a constructor.

1959
DeTomaso Automobili
Argentine-born Alejandro DeTomaso and wife Isabelle Haskell DeTomaso, an exceptionally competent race driver in her own right, formed their own works in Modena. They concentrated on building Formula Junior, Formula 3 and sports racing cars.

1961
Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS) formed.
group of engineers drivers and other personnel leave Ferrari to form ATS 2500 GT was first road car, body designed by Michelotti.

1962
Iso Rivolta introduced
Renzo Rivolta a refrigeration industrialist trys to build a better Ferrari.

Body Designed by Giorgetto Guigiaro, coach work by Bertone and an American V8.

GTO introduced by Ferrari
Only 36 were built, some consider it the most collectable full-bodied Ferrari Dominated the road racing circuit for the next three years.

1963 Ford bids for Ferrari
Henry Ford II was interested in acquiring an exotic Italian car company. The deal was in final stages when discussion of Ferrari's beloved racing teams came up. Enzo Ferrari found out that Ford would have been able to say where Ferrari could or could not race, the reported $18 million deal was off.

1965
Giorgetto Guigiaro joins Ghia
Marcello Gandini joins Bertone
Lamborghini Miura experimental chassis are shown at Geneva.

DeTomaso introduces his first production model, the Vallelunga.

AIfa puts the GTV into production.
Ferrari wins its most recent victory at Le Mans.

1966
P400 Miura
The Lamborghini Miura was worked on by: Giampaolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzini, test driver Bob Wallace and designer Marcello Gandini and designer Giorgetto Guigiaro. The Miura revolutionized exotic sports car design with a transverse, mid-mounted V12, a racing derived chassis, and beautiful body design.

Duetto introduced
Duetto came into the Alfa Romeo lineup. The Pininfarina-designed roadster was a dramatic and would say in production with updates and changed form, through 1994.

1968
Ital Design formed by Giorgetto Giugiaro
365 GTB/4 Daytona
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 with the long hood, short deck, two-passenger lines was designed by Pininfarina. The engine was a 352-hp version of the 4-cam Lampredi V12, with a rear-mounted 5-speed transaxle. The "Daytona" moniker was never officially applied by the factory, instead rubbing off on the car from Ferrari's stunning GT win there a year earlier.

1969
Fiat acquires a 40% interest in Ferrari
Vignale acquired by DeTomaso / Ford
Alfredo Vignale dies in car crash shortly after his company was acquired by DeTomaso / Ford

1970
DeTomaso runs Formula 1 team for the last time

1971
DeTomaso Pantera
With the Pantera, DeTomaso became a volume car builder.

Flaws forgotten, it delivered Maserati and
Ferrari performance for one-third the price.
The Pantera continued in production for another 20 years.

1972
Lamborghini Countach
Bertone body design carried Lamborghini for 15 years.
With wings added to it, the Countach could pass for a stealth fighter plane. The Countach's mid-engine V12 was enhanced many times throughout its production, ultimately producing more than 400 hp.

1974
Ford DeTomaso end their partnership
Iso discontinues car manufacturing
Lancia Stratos
Now a division of Fiat, Lancia introduced the ultimate rally racer, the Stratos. Named after a Bertone concept car of 1970 and powered by the Ferrari Dino V6 in 2.5 liter form, the Stratos dominated world rallying in the 1974-76 seasons. It remains one of the most collectible Lancias.

1977
Final Targa Florio
The last original Targa Florio was held on May 15, 1977.
Due to cars becoming too large and too fast for the roads.

The 50th Anniversary of the original Mille Miglia was
commemorated by staging the first vintage re-creation event along the same course.

1983
Constructor's Crown
Ferrari F1 remains the most recent Constructor's Championship for an Italian team.

1987 Ferrari F40
Introduction of the F40 would celebrate the company's 40th year in business. The twin-turbo V8 put out 450+ hp. Was the last design influenced and approved by Enzo himself.

Ferrari becomes majority owned by Fiat
Alfa Romeo is bought by Fiat after being reviewed by GM and Ford Storica (historic) Mille Miglia became an annual event. The Storica Mille Miglia proved to be the seedground for dozens of similar events that have sprung up around the world.

1989
Enzo Ferrari dies at the age of 90
Lampredi dies
Engine designer Aurelio Lampredi dies. President of Abarth during the 1970s. Notably he designed Ferrari's "big" V12, he also was in charge of engine design at Fiat, designed engines for Indy.

1991 Alfa ends IndyCar effort
Alfa's efforts after three years were unsuccessful.

1994 Alfa Leaves U.S.
Following Fiat, Maserati and Lancia, Alfa Romeo ends selling cars in the United States.

1995
Maserati is bought by Fiat.
Fiat now owns 90% of all Italian car manufacturers.

1997
Maserati & Ferrari join.
Fiat announces the consolidation of Maserati with Ferrari
Ferrari celebrates 50 years

~by http://www.automuseum.com/Italtimeline.html