Giovanni Battista Ceirano

[1] In October 1898 Giovanni Battista and Matteo co-founded Ceirano GB & C and started producing the Welleyes motor car in 1899.

In July 1899 the plant and patents were sold to Giovanni Agnelli and produced as the first F.I.A.T.s - the Fiat 4 HP.

Giovanni Battista was employed by Fiat as the agent for Italy, but within a year he left to found Fratelli Ceirano & C. which in 1903 became Società Torinese Automobili Rapid (S.T.A.R.)

In 1906 Matteo left Itala to found S.P.A. (Società Piemontese Automobili) with chief designer, Alberto Ballacco.

[2] Aged twenty, devoured by the "sacred fire of mechanics", he left Cuneo for Turin to broaden his technical horizon, which was too limited at his father's small watchmaker workshop.

In 1888, after eight years of "apprenticeship", he rented a storage space and started to build bicycles with his brothers Ernesto and Matteo.

acquired "Ceirano GB & C." Giovanni Battista was paid for his shares and employed as a sales agent for Italy, but being an employee and representative was not in his nature so he left Fiat after only one year to found "Fratelli Ceirano" with his brother Matteo.