1954 Fiat 8V Berlinetta

After two successful racing seasons, the 8V project began to wind down. They had produced 114 examples and decided to make the last and second series rolling chassis available to their sport customers. They assigned 25 chassis to La Zagato Srl of Milan, 15 chassis to Ghia and ten to Vignale and one to Pinin Farina.

Chassis #0066 was delivered to the Fiat Lingotto warehouse in January of 1954. That December, Mario Bonacina commissioned the bodywork to Vignale, at an approximate cost of $2,400. It was completed in April of 1955 and delivered through a dealer in Milan. Giovanni Michelotti designed the body for #0066. The styling was a derivative of an Aston Martin built for the king of Belgium.

The car was debuted at the XXXVII Turin motor show in April of 1955. It was then to compete in the Mille Miglia race, ten days later, where it suffered a DNF. Bonacina sold the car in June of 1956. It arrived in California in 1958.

It has spent most of its life in California, first with Shelly Pfeiffer of June Lake and then with Dan Simpson of Glendora. It suffered some engine issues in the early 1960's that saw it being powered by a four-cylinder Chevrolet engine temporarily. In 1994 the original engine was reunited with #0066. Simpson took on the challenge of finding the original engine and getting the car back on the road. In 1994 that reunion finally took place and the car was rebuilt. It was acquired by its current owner in 2012 and he has restored it.