THE FIAT 8V

Of all the famed Italian automakers, Fiat is not normally recognized for their lavish coachbuilt grand touring cars. The Italian automaker?s first engines were four-cylinder units, often of gargantuan proportions. Fiat produced its first six-cylinder engine in 1907 and even a V-12 from 1921 to 1922. However, it was not until 1952 that Fiat would produce an engine with eight cylinders, and the chassis and bodies it resided in were just as special as the engine.

The 8V?s Tipo 104 engine featured 70-degree architecture and advanced racing-inspired componentry, including a finned aluminum sump, forged crankshaft, polished intakes and ports, and tubular stainless-steel exhaust manifolds, all of them courtesy of Fiat?s renowned technical director, Dante Giacosa. It was installed in a lightweight chassis and dressed in sporting-oriented custom coachwork.
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This 8V model, or Otto Vu in Italian, was built for two years only, in 114 examples, and it remains one of the marque?s most legendary motor cars to this day. It was the star of the Geneva Salon in March 1952, and it goes without saying that this new Fiat got lots of attention from the motoring press. With its potent new power plant, which was clothed by bodies designed by the world?s finest coachbuilders, everyone knew that this was truly a special automobile in every sense of the word.

8V NUMBER 000080

Among the most beautiful, dramatic, and certainly unusual bodies on the ...