1954 Fiat 8V Supersonic Coupe

Launched at the 1952 Geneva Auto Show the displayed V-8 Fiat could not be called that because at the time the Ford Motor Company had a copyright on the term 'V8' so the car was called the Fiat 8V (or Otto Vu). The car is named after the peculiar 2-liter, 70 degree, aluminum, V-8 engine which almost looks lost in the engine compartment. Its short-stroke enabled it to achieve high-revs producing a steep power curve.

Code name Tipo 106, Fiat had been developing the V-8 engine since 1945 with the intention of fitting it into a mass-produced model.

Fiat built 34 examples in their Lingotto shop, these examples usually carry a 'Carrozzerie Speziali' badge, the remaining 80 cars were outsourced to the famous Italian design houses between 1952 and 1954, thus no two cars are alike and each has a unique style. Carozzeria Zagato built 30 that they labeled 'Elaborata Zagato.' Ghia and Vignale also produced their own renditions of which most were coupes, but some spyders were made as well. A one-off fiberglass-bodied example currently resides in the Fiat Museum.

The standard engine specification produced 105 horsepower at 5600 RPM, Fiat offered a factory option with twin Weber carburetors producing 115 horsepower. The engine and gearbox are fitted into a steel tube chassis with Fiat 1100 suspension components attached to each corner. With the body welded or in the case of the aluminum bodies cars mechanically attached to the chassis made it a semi-unitary construction.

This car was first shipped to K.T. Keller, Chrysler chairman. He subsequently sold it to a three-time Gold Cup-winning hydroplane racer, Lou Fageol. For some inexplicable reason, Fageol though he could design better than the famed Giovanni Savonuzzi and he modified the car dramatically. Among other things, he added fins from a Chrysler Imperial and installed a twin-supercharged 1957 Chevrolet Corvette V8.

In 1979 the current owner bought it from a friend and was determined to restore the car to its original configuration. He spent years tracking down the parts needed. One day his telephone rang and the California caller asked if he did indeed own what had been Fageol's car. The owner said he did and the caller said he had the original engine. This claim seemed highly doubtful until the caller read off the numbers and they matched the research. The engine had been stored under a workbench in nearby Ann Arbor for all those decades. It was quickly reunited with the Supersonic.