Model history: Fiat was one of Italy's automotive pioneers and has competed in international motorsport from the dawn of motoring. In those early days the Turin based company manufactured all out racers in contention for the overall victory like the legendary Mefistofele. From the 1930s the focus shifted to class victories with racing cars derived from the manufacturer's road cars like the 508 Balilla.
At the 1952 Geneva Motorshow, Fiat stunned the gathered crowd with an all new car, developed especially for racing. Powered by a 2 litre V8 engine, the car was simply known as '8V' or 'Otto Vu' in Italian. It was designed specifically to take on the two litre class, which was a highly contested class of the Italian championship. Fiat faced competition from Maserati, Ferrari and Lancia, who all had a two litre racer. Interestingly each engine was of a different configuration.
Fiat's V8 was derived from two four cylinder blocks mounted on a common crankcase. To keep the engine compact, the angle between the cylinder banks was just 70 degrees. A centrally mounted camshaft operated the valves by pushrods. Breathing through two Weber Carburetors, the engine was good for 105 bhp and with an extra Weber 115 bhp could be achieved. Fiat's potent V8 proved to be a good match for Maserati's straight six, Ferrari's V12 and Lancia's V6.
A traditional steel tubular frame was used and the car was independently suspended all-round. Fiat's chief designer Fabio Luigi Rapi was responsible for the factory body, which featured two large headlights in the grill and two smaller lights in the fenders. The second series body featured four headlights in the fender to comply with the GT regulations. Milanese coachbuilder Zagato was responsible for most of the custom bodied 8Vs.
Especially the Zagato 8Vs, which benefited from additional engine tuning and feather light bodies were highly successful in the Italian Championship. Highlight of the car's career was winning the 1954 Championship. With only 114 examples built in total and a relatively brief racing career, the 8V is a little known Italian masterpiece. It remains as the only Fiat ever to be powered by a V8 engine and embodies Fiat's brief spell of racing success.
Chassis: 000042
Amidst the run of iconic Supersonic bodies, Ghia fitted one Fiat 8V with this more conservative design. Penned by company owner Mario Boano, the two-door coupe did feature several typical Ghia style elements like the slightly in-board mounted headlights and the 'kickup' in the rear wing. Chassis 000042 was completed by Fiat in July of 1953 and then ended up at Ghia, either directly or possibly through a dealer.
The unique car's early history is not entirely clear but it ended up in the United States before the end of the decade. There it changed hands many times before it was painstakingly restored in California during the late 1990s. The Ghia Coupe was subsequently shown at Pebble Beach and entered in The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering. In 2007, it returned to Europe where it was entered in the 2008 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.
The only non-Supersonic Ghia Fiat 8V will be offered in the RM Auctions Automobiles of London sale on October 28, 2009.
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8V Ghia Coupe
Fiat was one of Italy's automotive pioneers and has competed in international motorsport from the dawn of motoring. In those early days the Turin based company manufactured all out racers in contention for the overall victory like the legendary Mefistofele. From the 1930s the focus shifted to class victories with racing cars derived from the manufacturer's road cars like the 508 Balilla.