After decades of mass-producing economical cars, Fiat shocked the world in 1952 with the introduction of a limited-production, premium sport coupe powered by the Italian automaker’s first and only V-8 engine. Built on a Siata-fabricated tubular steel chassis with fully independent suspension, it was lightweight, agile, and potent. The advanced 2.0-liter overhead-valve V-8 would prove more than a match for Ferrari’s V-12 and Maserati’s inline-six in competition. Of the 114 produced through 1954, more than half featured curvaceous…
After decades of mass-producing economical cars, Fiat shocked the world in 1952 with the introduction of a limited-production, premium sport coupe powered by the Italian automaker’s first and only V-8 engine. Built on a Siata-fabricated tubular steel chassis with fully independent suspension, it was lightweight, agile, and potent. The advanced 2.0-liter overhead-valve V-8 would prove more than a match for Ferrari’s V-12 and Maserati’s inline-six in competition. Of the 114 produced through 1954, more than half featured curvaceous bodywork devised in-house under the direction of Fabio Luigi Rapi, head of Fiat’s specialized coachwork department. The remaining chassis would receive bodies from Italy’s most revered coachbuilders, including Ghia, Vignale, and Zagato.