1929 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Coupe De Ville

The Tipo 8A, which was introduced at the 1924 Paris Auto Salon and produced until 1932, was a complete redesign of the Tipo 8. The new 7,372cc engine was an inline 8-cylinder model with an output of 115 bhp and a maximum speed of 81 mph. The car also had new servo brakes - an understandable addition, considering that the chassis alone weighed 3,256 pounds. About 950 chassis were made, and each were priced at $8,500. After adding the cost of coachwork, the Tipo 8A was one of the most expensive cars of its day. It is thought to have been delivered to Alpe & Saunders, a car dealership and coachwork company in London, which sold it to a young Indian prince, the Raja Sajid Husain Ali of Kotwara, who was studying at Edinburgh University. The prince has seen his favorite film star and Isotta owner Rudolph Valentino in the film The Young Rajah, and this influenced his choice of automobile. He returned to India in 1937 to marry the Princess Selma, Sultana of Turkey, and the Isotta was used as their wedding car. It remained with the royal family there until the 1970s, when it was purchased at auction by Peter Grant, manager of the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin. The car later went to the Imperial Palace Collection in Las Vegas. It was last seen at Pebble Beach in 2008.