Introduced in 1952, the first SIATA 208S was powered by Fiat's 2-liter, 70-degree V8 engine and had a barchetta body styled by Giovanni Michelotti and built by Carrozzeria Motto. After around 200 engines had been built and just 114 Fiat 8Vs had been finished, production came to a half and the remaining '8V' engines were given to SIATA, as they had been deeply involved in its development. With its cutting-edge chassis design and high-torque engine, many 208s were exported to America and raced successfully by leading drivers of the day.

This car is one of 35 barchettas sold to McAfee Engineering, owned by Ernie McAfee, a race driver and dealer of Italian racing car in Los Angeles. Its first race was actually its first win; driving it, Dick Hayward placed first overall at the Santa Barbara Road Races in March 1956. The car was raced throughout 1956 by Hayward and its new owner, George Dillaway. Its current owner bought the SIATA in 1994, and it ran in almost every Mille Miglia retrospective, as well as the Colorado Grand, until 2000.