1908 Isotta Fraschini Type FE

In 1902, Cesare Isotta and Vincenzo Fraschini created the Isotta Fraschini Company. This decision was made after years of successfully importing French vehicles to Italy. Automobile production was very new and this led to the creation of hundreds of independent automobile producers worldwide. It was also a unique time in history since the automotive market was evolving, and so were the designs. This was true for the Isotta Fraschini Company, and they were rewarded for their unique creations by continued success. The elegantly designed automobiles were popular with the rich clientele. Their creations were reliable, stylish, and quick. At Targa Florio in 1908, one of their automobiles won.

The Isotta Fraschini Tipo FENC was believed by many to be the work of Ettore Bugatti, but instead was the road-going development of the racing FE designed by Italian engineering Giuseppe Stefanini. He was born in 1870 and educated in Turin. In 1900 he moved to Milan to work with Cesare Isotta and Vincenzo Fraschini, who had been importing cars from France. In the early 1900s, he worked on developing an engine with overhead cams. His first creation was a 17.2 liter inline-4 in the IF Tipo D. It was soon obvious that more work was needed as the car lasted just one lap in the 1905 Gran Premio di Brescia.

Working under the guidance of chief engineer Giustino Catteneo, Stefanini's engine and chassis designs went in a new direction. In 1908, he created the Tipo FE to compete in the Grand Prix des Voiturettes at Dieppe. Under the bonnet was a 1.2-liter overhead cam four-cylinder engine that weighed just 1,340 pounds. The top speed was in the neighborhood of 60 mph. The car would become the prototype for the high-performance sports cars that would later follow.

Chassis number 6023 was later acquired by Robert M. Rubin, who treated the car to a meticulous restoration to 'semi-racer' specification. The car's four-cylinder overhead cam engine wears serial number 10 and consists of mostly original parts. It has a cross-shaft drive to magneto and water pump which conforms to the original FENC speciation.

In 1912 the Isotta Fraschini Company introduced a straight eight-cylinder engine but it would not go into production until 1919 due to World War I. During the war, the Company shifted its resource to building airplane engines. When the war was over, the eight-cylinder engine was used to power their Tipo 8, making it the first straight-eight-cylinder engine to go into production. The 5.9-liter engine was capable of producing 100 horsepower, an extremely difficult accomplishment at the time.

In 1924, the engine capacity of the engine was increased to 7.3 liters, giving the vehicle between 110 and 120 horsepower depending on the configuration. The name was modified to reflect this change and was dubbed the 8A. The company claimed the vehicle could accelerate to a top speed of 90 miles per hour.

The vehicle could be had in a variety of flavors and sizes. The standard model sat atop a 145-inch wheelbase, while a sportier version was fitted with a 134-inch wheelbase. The price to own one of these magnificent creations was not cheap, weighing in at around $20,000.

In 1931 a four-speed gearbox and a refined engine were introduced, and the name was changed to 8B. As with most businesses at this time, the Great Depression and a second World War had taken their toll on the company. The company had shifted focus to creating airplane and marine engines during World War II. After the war, several efforts were made to jump-start vehicle production but all attempts failed. The factory was forced to close.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2013