1907 Itala Model 36/45

In 1904, the Itala Company was formed in Turin, Italy, by Matteo Ceirano and Guido Bigio. The vehicles created were primarily designed for racing and outfitted with large engines. Throughout the years, the vehicles would capture many victories, the most famous being the 1907 Paris-Peking Marathon. This 10,000-mile endurance race included two continents, deserts, swamps and other terrains. Eleven men in five different vehicles entered the race. The most powerful vehicle was the 40 HP Itala driven by Prince Scipio Borghese. There were no roads that stretched from Peking to Paris that were able to accommodate automobiles. Many of the vehicles were underpowered and able to scale the steep inclines. Animals and men were needed to push the vehicles to the summit of the mountains. On the downhills, the vehicle's mechanical components were once again inadequate, often failing to slow the vehicle properly. The extreme heat from the desserts caused the radiators to overheat. The only solution was to pour the reserve drinking water into the vehicles to keep them from boiling over. After sixty-one days, the Itala entered Paris, winning the race. Twenty days later, the remainder of the vehicles arrived in Paris. There were two De Dion-Burtons and a Spyker. The final vehicle, a three-wheel, 6HP Contal was unable to complete the race.

The success of their race cars and the high-profile individuals who purchased them aided in increasing demand for the vehicles. The Itala Company enjoyed mild success until the onset of World War I when they shifted to building military vehicles and aircraft engines. After the war, the company went back to producing race cars. Their Tipo 24 featured a 2-liter six-cylinder engine fitted to a small body. Prior to the war, their vehicles were large and outfitted with very powerful engines. As with many companies during the late 1920s and early 1930s, slow sales and a tough economy brought financial difficulties for the Itala Company. The Company introduced its Tipo 61, powered by a 60-horsepower six-cylinder engine. To help widen its clientele base, it was offered in various body styles and sizes. It was not until 1934 that the company's financial problems became so great that they were forced to close its doors after 30 years of automobile production.

by Dan Vaughan

Grand Prix Racer

The Itala Grand Prix race car, while somewhat overweight and under-powered, was a reliable competitor. This car was built in the Itala factory in Torino, Italy, and was driven in Europe by Henri Fournier. He brought the car to the United Sates, and placed eighth in the U.S. Grand Prix held in Savannah, GA, in March of 1907. The name Itala was made famous in 1907 by the Peking-Paris Run. This trial, organized by a French newspaper, matched the Itala against two DeDion-Boutons, a Contel Tricycle and a Spyker. The start took place in June of 1907, and the Itala rapidly out-distanced its competitors, reaching Paris exactly two months after traveling 10,000 miles over roads, which were primitive at best, and non-existent at worst.

Displacing 14.75 liters (900 cubic-inches), this Itala was built in Torino, Italy, for Henri Fournier. After being raced successfully in Europe, it was brought to the United States where it ran in the 1908 American Grand Prix at Savannah, Georgia. Itala built very successful racing cars including the 34/45 hp model that won the 1908 Paris to Peking race by the somewhat excessive three weeks! The company became part of the Fiat Group in 1935.

Grand Prix Racer

The Itala Company was founded in Turin, Italy, in 1904 by Matteo Ceirano and Guido Bigio. Itala cars were designed primarily for racing and boasted large-capacity engines. This Itala was found in the late 1940s by Group Captain Rexford-Welch in Oxfordshire, England, where it had been resting in a field for many years. He towed it back to his house in London and began a long restoration before exhibiting it at events in the 1950s. Rexford-Welch used the car until the mid-1960s, when it was laid back to rest in his garage. The car was resurrected again by David Ayre in early 2000. Ayre fully restored the chassis and paired it with a new body based on Prince Itala, successfully completing the 2007 Centenary Peking to Paris rally in 35 days - half the time that Borghese had taken back in 1907.