Boneschi

The Boneschi company was founded in 1919 by Giovanni Boneschi and was based in Cambiago, near a little airport. Initially Boneschi focussed to luxury cars, but without much success. It was only in 1922 with the launch of the innovative Lancia Lambda, that things began to change. Enrico Minetti, a Lancia commercial agent in Milan and later branch manager, proposed to Boneschi to realize his plan: selling a Lancia characterized with custom coachwork to a high-class customer. Boneschi became interested and soon began producing a limited set of Lambdas. After a short period in which Boneschi also worked for newborn Citroën Italian, from 1924 to 1926, the company returned to Lancia cars. It was at that time that Boneschi made some of his most celebrated creations, based on the Lancia models Dilambda, Astura and Aprilia.

During World War II his factory was destroyed by the Allied bombing. The factory was rebuilt in 1946, but Giovanni Boneschi passed away in the same year. The director, Mr. Bruno Pezzaglia, replaced him and began a collaboration with Alfa Romeo. That was the golden age of the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 bodied by all the coachbuilders in Milan. Boneschi built some examples of an Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 sedan for some political figures of the time. In 1953, it was the turn of the Alfa Romeo 1900, of which Boneschi produced a small series. The same year a successful interpretation on a Lancia Aurelia B53 was introduced.

In 1957, Boneschi produced a limited series of an Alfa Romeo Giulietta station wagon. In 1960, some Alfas 2600 Convertible and Coupe were built. In 1962, a nice Lancia Flaminia Spider was made in collaboration with Rodolfo Bonetto. But at this point the activity in the coachbuilding industry diminished. There was more demand for industrial utility vehicles, like buses and trucks. The company was adsorbed by Savio of the FIAT group.

In the '70s Boneschi converted to industrial vehicles based on OM and Iveco. In the '80s there was a special version of a Lancia Thema (Gazzella). Nowadays Boneschi is still active both in the field of sanitary fittings, commercial and armored vehicles, and in the rail sector. At the end of 2006 the Cambiago factory was sold by Savio, who had previously sold the Turin production plant. The establishment of Germatex Atessa is also about to be sold. Today, the Boneschi name only remains as a brand, owned by the Savio Group.