: the chassis

You can build your Dio on any chassis with a wheelbase of 88" to 102" (and the front track must be between 45.5" and 52" wide). Those parameters provide you with a lot of latitude in choosing your donor chassis. The procedure is quite simple: your Dio body is molded for a 102" maximum wheelbase; you then vertically cut the lower side panels and door sections, to reduce the wheelbase to your desired length. You can build your rocket-on-a-rollerskate without a degree in rocket science!

Above: a rear-engined Dio built on a seriously-reinforced VW Beetle chassis. You can elect to use an air-cooled VW platform, with a 94.5" (240cm) wheelbase. You must install extra support for the VW pan, including an extra structural member to bolster the outer edges. Additional support for the rear section of these bodies is required. If you specify using a VW door chassis, your Dio body will be equipped with an engine-bay access deck. Performance parts for the air-cooled VW powerplants abound, and installing a 4-cylinder Porsche powerplant is a bolt-in operation.

Your chassis choices include MGA, Datsun / Nissan 1600 & 2000 and Fairlady roadsters... and even some mini pickups, such as the Ford Courier and the Mazda. Whatever platform you choose, you can be confident that your Tipo 61 will be a fast and nimble driving machine. And it'll boast a sensuous profile that will attract admiring crowds wherever you take it!

Standard Body Kit $4,495
includes front hood section, lower rocker panels and left & right door sections.
Std. Body Kit option: headrest: $90 for one, or two for $175

Deluxe Body Kit $4,995
includes all of the standard kit items above plus windshield (w/mounting hardware & seal), front body latches, rear taillight assembly, one headrest and front prop support.

Standard Chassis Kit--not currently offered
includes full round-tube chassis, chrome-plated upper & lower control arms, front & rear coil-over shocks, poly bushings, tubular compression rod, rear 4-link assembly, live-axle rear hardware & mounting brackets. Your chassis comes fully TIG-welded on our precision jig. It does not include front spindles or brakes, or rear axle housing or rear brakes.

Rolling Chassis--not currently offered
includes full jig-welded tubular chassis, all interior sheet metal; front suspension installed, coil-over shocks and springs installed; front disc brakes with Wilwood aluminum calipers (10" rotors & 5-bolt lug pattern); tubular compression rod installed, narrowed 9" rear housing, 31-spline axles, traction lock 3rd member (3:50 or 4:11 ratio); 4-link rear assembly installed, coilover shocks and springs installed, and rear disc brakes.
Rolling Chassis Kit options:
Steering Package--n/a
motor plates with poly mounts--n/a
Koni single-adjust rear shocks--n/a

Standard Body Kit and Chassis Kit Special Price--not currently offered

The Dio Tipo history page

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