Established in 1921 in Turin, Italy, Carrozzeria Viotti found success by building both exclusive commissions for wealthy clients and more attainable, yet still high-quality, vehicles in somewhat larger quantities.

This flexibility helped Viotti survive in the wake of World War II, when the coachbuilder introduced the “Giardinetta”: a functional, wood-bodied wagon that could, at least initially, be built on repurposed older chassis.

As author Alessandro Sannia notes in his survey of Viotti, “Giardinetta” has since become a generic Italian term for “station wagon”—but it was company founder Vittorio Viotti that coined the word, trademarking it on 6 May 1946.

Much like the wood-bodied station wagons created by American manufacturers in the post-war era, these utilitarian vehicles also served as a canvas for the craftsman’s art in an era when coachbuilding was fading from prominence.

Indeed, they soon become fashionable luxury items, prompting Viotti to create refined versions on highe...