26-1604 Useful Load HS 115 - Milano bodywork

Brand: Charge Utile
Series: Special Edition N°115 - Milano bodywork

(pages: 84)

Carrosserie Milano, today based in La Garde, near Toulon (Var), still exists. The origins of this fine company date back to the pre-war years, when Charles Milano decided to leave his native Italy to escape fascism. It was only after the Liberation that he opened a body shop in Toulon under his own name. After his death, his sons developed the business, which grew rapidly, handling ever larger, more specialized and more numerous vehicles. Until the end of the 1950s, the Milano body shop even fitted out fire engines and numerous coaches. Then, in addition to standard bodywork, the company subcontracted work for Coder, for which it also became a dealer. More recently, the company has produced special equipment for the French Navy. Today, the company still offers a wide range of products, from classic vans to custom-built special equipment.

This new special issue looks back on more than 80 years of the company's existence. In addition, it devotes a chapter to another great regional coachbuilder, Bergeron-Contant of Longvic (Côte-d'Or), which was founded in the 1940s and will disappear in 2012.