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1911 Fiat S74 news, pictures, and information

On July 11th of 1899, the Fiat Company was formed at Palazzo Bricherasio. The name 'FIAT' is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, translated to Italian Automobile Factory of Turin. It was formed by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli who soon became the Managing Director of the company. He remained with the company until his death in 1945.

It was not long before Fiat was heavily involved in racing, both in Europe and American. As competition quickly escalated, the only way to keep was to enlarge the cubic capacity of the engines. It was not uncommon for the early four-cylinder engines to displace over ten liters, many reaching into the 20-liter range. Racing regulations did little to slow this down, often only putting restrictions on the total weight of the vehicle. This resulted in bare-bone chassis that would often twist and break under the extreme forces of the engine. In all respects, it was a time of experimentation and continued development, that saw major advances within a short amount of time.

For Fiat, they too found the winning formula in expanding their engines. Their entry in the 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup race, the precursor to Grand Prix racing, was the 75 horsepower Corsa which displaced fourteen liters from its four-cylinder engine. It was driven by Vincenzo Lancia who would later found the Lancia Company. He first impressed the Fiat Company in 1900 with his driving talents as a test driver, and soon was promoted to their 'Works Driver.' He drove in the 1903 Paris to Madrid race, two Vanderbilt Cup races in the USA, Grand Prix races, and more. When the cars did not suffer mechanical failures, he could often be found at, or near, the front of the pack.

The rules for the 1912 French Grand Prix limited the cars width; but little else dictated what could or could not be done to the vehicles. Fiats entries were the S74 which featured a 14-liter four-cylinder engine. At the 1912 French Grand Prix, Fiat had their S74 racer in the hands of David Bruce-Brown who was in the lead for much of the race. On the fifteenth lap, he was disqualified for refueling away from the pits. Ralph De Palma, also driving a S74, was also disqualified from the race due to work being performed away from the pits. The victory went to George Boillot and his Peugeot followed by Louis Wagner in a Fiat S74.

The Fiat S76 was produced in 1912 and featured a 28-liter four-cylinder engine. The cars were driven by drivers such as Felice Nazzaro, Antonio Fagnano, and Pietro Bordino. The cars, according to records two were created, were used for racing and for attempting speed records.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2007
BREMBO CIRCUIT IDENTITY CARDS FOR MOTOGP AT FRENCH GRAND PRIX (LE MANS)
What's the 'toughest' track in MotoGP? Brembo Circuit Identity Cardsfor MotoGP are available to the public on the Friday before each race at www.Brembo.com. Each Circuit Identity Card graphic includes general characteristics of the track itself (layout, length, number of braking events and turns, percentage of time spent under braking per lap), along with technical information of the key braking zones, such as speeds before/after each brake event, braking time and distance, maximum deceler...[Read more...]
75 years ago: triple victory for Mercedes-Benz in Tripoli
• Spectacular launch of the W 154 'Silver Arrow'
• Hermann Lang is victorious on the Mellaha course in Libya
Stuttgart – A triple victory was secured for Mercedes-Benz and the then new W 154 twelve-cylinder racing car on 15 May 1938. Hermann Lang won the Tripoli Grand Prix, ahead of fellow drivers Manfred von Brauchitsch and Rudolf Caracciola. This one-two-three win launched a season that saw Mercedes-Benz dominate European racing – a season in which Caracciola would also be cr...[Read more...]
1969 United States Grand Prix: The Rise of Rindt
If there was one racer in the Formula One paddock that drivers and spectators alike believed should have scored his first victory before the start of the 1969 season it would almost unanimously be Jochen Rindt. Fast and flamboyant, the Austrian exhibited car control that enthralled just about everyone it seemed, except perhaps the cars themselves. Constantly undercut by poor reliability, it seemed Rindt was to forever suffer under such an oppressive weight. However, at the 1969 United States Gra...[Read more...]
Prince Heinrich Benz Racers Reunited at 'The Amelia'
In the early 1900's, at the dawn of the automotive motorsport age, one of the most significant race venues was the Prinz Heinrich Tour, named after Prince Albert Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia, automotive enthusiast and brother of German Emperor Wilhelm II. In 1907, the German Imperial Automobile Club organized the first annual Prinz Heinrich Tour which is often seen as a precursor to the German Grand Prix. Among the races' most notable winners were Fritz Erle who won the 1908 race in a 50 h...[Read more...]
Mercedes-Benz Classic: Topics for 2013
The main topics: • The tradition of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class • Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows in the 1930s • Originals – authentic vehicles tell authentic stories • Classic vehicles kept in perfect condition with Mercedes-Benz Genuine Parts Important anniversaries: January 75 years ago – on 28 January 1938: With a flying start, Rudolf Caracciola achieved a speed of 432.7 km/h over one kilometre on the Frankfurt–Darmstadt motorway. This is the highest speed ever ach...[Read more...]

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