The story
Origins
Founded in 1885 as a garage, in 1922 Giannini became part of Itala's service network. Through this collaboration and the skills acquired thereby, Giannini was able to enter and win its class with an Itala Tipo 61 in the first edition of the Mille Miglia (1927), commissioned by Marquis Pellegrini.
1930s
Giannini expanded their scope during the 1930s by working on smaller cars, in particular the popular Fiat 500 "Topolino". In addition to engine modifications, the brake arrangements were also changed. In 1938 Giannini broke a number of world records with a single seat racer powered by one of these 499 cc engines, equipped with a Siata head.
1940s
After World War II, the Giannini brothers began building their own engines. In 1947 they built a three-cylinder direct injection diesel truck engine, called the "3A". This produced 40 PS (29 kW) at 3,000 rpm. It was not a huge success, only selling a few hundred.
In 1948, the Giannini brothers abandoned the transport sector, preferring instead to focus on something closer to their hearts: competition. Building on over a decade's experience with Topolino engines and with the aid of young engineer Carlo Gianini (sic), who began the CNA Rondine motorcycle project, the 750 cc "G1" engine was developed. The G1 met with considerable success at the 1949 Mille Miglia. Gianini then developed the twin-cam "G2" engine which saw use in the Giaur, an acronym for Giannini and Urania. The Giaur project was codeveloped with Berardo Taraschi. Giannini engines were also used by other "Etceterinis" such as Gilco and Stanga. The G2 powered Giannini's entry in the 1950 Mille Miglia, which led to a class victory in the hands of Maggiorelli and Magior.
1950s
In the 1950s Giannini opened a number of new ventures across Italy, such as Fiat sales outlets and garages.
Division
For various reasons, and in spite of good sales, the company found itself in serious financial difficulties which led to its closing in 1961. The two brothers and their children disagreed on which direction to take and thus created two new separate companies: Attilio's Costruzioni Meccaniche Giannini S.p.A. (Attilio) and Domenico's Giannini Automobili S.p.A.
From Wikipedia’s article on Giannini Automobili, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3