1935 508  |
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1934 Fiat Balilla 508 news, pictures, and information | ||
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 |  |  | Pickup Chassis Num: 047029 |
| Sold for $55,000 at 2011 RM Auctions. | |||
Fiat could not afford to build another car like the 514 which had failed in the marketplace, despite owning 90 percent of the Italian market. Fiat engineers made the new car reliable and interesting to drive. The 508 was the progenitor of cars to come. It was small, lightweight and packed with modern engineering. Through 1937, Fiat produced over 110,000 Balillas, which helped revitalize a staggering economy.
The design was even produced under license by NSU in Germany and Simca in France. Another tribute to the vehicles versatility and engineering prowess was a victory in the 1100cc class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937.
This two-door truck example has been given a three-year restoration in Italy which was completed in 2006. It has covered just 200 kms since the completion of the restoration. It is painted in a combination of burgundy and black. Power is from a 995cc side-valve short-stroke four-cylinder engine which offers just over 20 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission, four-wheel hydraulically-operated drum brakes, and a wheelbase that measures 90.5-inches.
In 2011, the car was offered for sale in Monterey, Ca. presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $42,000-$52,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $55,000, including buyer's premium.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011
In the United States, Italian cars have long been associated with devastating performance, stunning bodies, and monumental price tags. Decades have passed since affordable Italian cars were being sold in the U.S. in significant numbers. Alfa Romeo, the last manufacturer to export reasonably priced cars to the U.S., withdrew from the American market in 1995 after years of painfully slow sales. Fiat withdrew long before that. In the absence of inexpensive models from Fiat and Alfa, it fell on Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Maserati to shape the American perspective of Italian cars.
It's easy, then, to forget that Italy has consistently built more somber machinery for the masses for over a century. With Fiat poised for a reentry to the American market in 2011, now is as good a time as ever to consider some of the more humble roots of Italian motoring.
Fiat, whose name is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin), was founded in 1899 and is Italy's oldest surviving car manufacturer. The company's reputation for producing the people's cars of Italy was cemented fairly quickly, though characteristic Italian excitement has punctuated Fiat's story in the form of early racing successes and a close association with Carlo Abarth's knack for wringing giant-slaying performance out of little cars.
Genius engineers like Abarth proved the great potential lurking within many of Fiat's affordable and unsuspecting autos. Dante Giacosa was another one of these bright engineers, whose work preceded the great victories of Abarth-tuned Fiats. One of Giacosa's earliest endeavors pertained to the Fiat 508, also called the Balilla.
The 508/Balilla, introduced at the Milan Motorshow of 1932, was a rather conventional small car available in several body styles including a two-door sedan, spider, and light van. Powered by a Zenith-carbureted 995cc side-valve four producing 22bhp, the 508 could comfortably reach 55mph and deliver 35mpg. Fiat fitted the 508 with standard hydraulic brakes. In 1933, Fiat introduced a more powerful 508S (Sport) with 30bhp and revised the list of available body styles to include a spider by Ghia and an aerodynamic coupe. More updates followed in 1934, with the introduction of a 4-speed gearbox to replace the original 3-speed and an even more powerful engine for the 508S with overhead valves and 36bhp. A modest 2bhp power increase was given to the standard engine.
In 1937, several important changes were made to the Balilla lineup. The styling was revised in order to make the 508 fit in with other Fiat-branded contemporaries and more body styles were offered, but perhaps the most important news was that the Balilla received a new engine. This updated power plant displaced 1,089cc and used an aluminum head with overhead valves to produce 32bhp in standard trim. To distinguish the revised-engine models from their predecessors, the 508 became the 508 C or Balilla 1100. Fiat produced military and civilian versions of the 508 C during World War II, and in 1939 the Fiat 1100, essentially a 508 C with a new grille, was introduced. The 1100 continued in production after the end of the war, proving the longevity of the initial 508 design.
It was for the 1938 Mille Miglia that Dante Giacosa turned the 508 into a successful racer. Giacosa, born in 1905 and working for Fiat since 1928 after earning his engineering degree in 1927, was still a young man at the time of the 508's introduction. His enthusiastic spirit served him well at Fiat, though, enabling him to foster the creation of the 508 C MM (Mille Miglia) while in his early thirties.
Giacosa daringly experimented with aerodynamics while at Fiat, so it is fitting that the 508 C MM was created with a body as slippery as it was pretty. The sleek Fiat featured a 42bhp version of the 1,089cc overhead-valve engine. With its improved power output and aerodynamic shape, the 508 C MM was a superb car. Fiat and Giacosa were rewarded for their efforts when a 508 C MM placed first in its class at the 1938 Mille Miglia.
The Balilla was a popular car, with about 170,000 examples produced, excluding production of the later but similar 1100. Additional versions were made under license by Simca in France and NSU in Germany. Like other common cars of the era, though, what was once an abundant device has become exceedingly rare since so few 508s were deemed worth preserving through the years. The sportier 508 models have become pricey collectors' items, and remain important reminders of the great magic Fiat could bestow on modest chassis.
Sources:
Goodfellow, Winston. Italian Sports Cars. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Company, 2000. Print.
'Fiat 508 Balilla & 1100.' CarsfromItaly.net n. pag. Web. 21 Dec 2010. http://carsfromitaly.net/fiat/index.html.By Evan Acuña
For more information and related vehicles, click hereIt's easy, then, to forget that Italy has consistently built more somber machinery for the masses for over a century. With Fiat poised for a reentry to the American market in 2011, now is as good a time as ever to consider some of the more humble roots of Italian motoring.
Fiat, whose name is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin), was founded in 1899 and is Italy's oldest surviving car manufacturer. The company's reputation for producing the people's cars of Italy was cemented fairly quickly, though characteristic Italian excitement has punctuated Fiat's story in the form of early racing successes and a close association with Carlo Abarth's knack for wringing giant-slaying performance out of little cars.
Genius engineers like Abarth proved the great potential lurking within many of Fiat's affordable and unsuspecting autos. Dante Giacosa was another one of these bright engineers, whose work preceded the great victories of Abarth-tuned Fiats. One of Giacosa's earliest endeavors pertained to the Fiat 508, also called the Balilla.
The 508/Balilla, introduced at the Milan Motorshow of 1932, was a rather conventional small car available in several body styles including a two-door sedan, spider, and light van. Powered by a Zenith-carbureted 995cc side-valve four producing 22bhp, the 508 could comfortably reach 55mph and deliver 35mpg. Fiat fitted the 508 with standard hydraulic brakes. In 1933, Fiat introduced a more powerful 508S (Sport) with 30bhp and revised the list of available body styles to include a spider by Ghia and an aerodynamic coupe. More updates followed in 1934, with the introduction of a 4-speed gearbox to replace the original 3-speed and an even more powerful engine for the 508S with overhead valves and 36bhp. A modest 2bhp power increase was given to the standard engine.
In 1937, several important changes were made to the Balilla lineup. The styling was revised in order to make the 508 fit in with other Fiat-branded contemporaries and more body styles were offered, but perhaps the most important news was that the Balilla received a new engine. This updated power plant displaced 1,089cc and used an aluminum head with overhead valves to produce 32bhp in standard trim. To distinguish the revised-engine models from their predecessors, the 508 became the 508 C or Balilla 1100. Fiat produced military and civilian versions of the 508 C during World War II, and in 1939 the Fiat 1100, essentially a 508 C with a new grille, was introduced. The 1100 continued in production after the end of the war, proving the longevity of the initial 508 design.
It was for the 1938 Mille Miglia that Dante Giacosa turned the 508 into a successful racer. Giacosa, born in 1905 and working for Fiat since 1928 after earning his engineering degree in 1927, was still a young man at the time of the 508's introduction. His enthusiastic spirit served him well at Fiat, though, enabling him to foster the creation of the 508 C MM (Mille Miglia) while in his early thirties.
Giacosa daringly experimented with aerodynamics while at Fiat, so it is fitting that the 508 C MM was created with a body as slippery as it was pretty. The sleek Fiat featured a 42bhp version of the 1,089cc overhead-valve engine. With its improved power output and aerodynamic shape, the 508 C MM was a superb car. Fiat and Giacosa were rewarded for their efforts when a 508 C MM placed first in its class at the 1938 Mille Miglia.
The Balilla was a popular car, with about 170,000 examples produced, excluding production of the later but similar 1100. Additional versions were made under license by Simca in France and NSU in Germany. Like other common cars of the era, though, what was once an abundant device has become exceedingly rare since so few 508s were deemed worth preserving through the years. The sportier 508 models have become pricey collectors' items, and remain important reminders of the great magic Fiat could bestow on modest chassis.
Sources:
Goodfellow, Winston. Italian Sports Cars. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Company, 2000. Print.
'Fiat 508 Balilla & 1100.' CarsfromItaly.net n. pag. Web. 21 Dec 2010. http://carsfromitaly.net/fiat/index.html.By Evan Acuña
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| Fiat: 1931-1940 |
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| 1935 508 |
