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1912 Fiat Model 56

Fiat's history began in 1899 when Giovanni Agnelli and several investors founded the Italian Factory of Turin in 1899. They built their first truck in 1903 and exported their first motorcar to the United States in 1908. Two years later, they opened a U.S.-based plant in Poughkeepsie, New York as the importation tariff of foreign automobiles was 45% which significantly cut into their profit margin.

In 1906, the name was changed to FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino) and the company remained under Anelli's guidance until his death in 1945. It quickly became the largest automobile company in Italy, with its reputation solidified through numerous accomplishments on the race track. Like several other early automobile manufacturers, they even manufactured an aircraft engine.

The Fiat vehicles were superbly engineered, advanced, and built to high standards. They were seen as a social status and the high costs made them very exclusive. Their price tags began at $4,000 without custom coachwork and easily outpaced the cost of a Ford Model T listed at $525. With custom coachwork installed, the price tag easily exceeded $7,000, putting it within the territory of Napier and Rolls-Royce vehicles.

The U.S-based Fiat factory was staffed by former employees of Lozier, Pope-Toledo, and E.R. Thomas. The large touring automobiles they built were initially powered by a four-cylinder engine. A six-cylinder model was introduced in 1912 and powered a 135-inch wheelbase platform. The Type 56 was powered by an 8.6-liter T-head, Side-Valve inline engine with Bosch ZR6 Magneto Ignition, mono-block construction, and integral water-jacketed intake and exhaust manifolds. This under-square six-cylinder powerplant utilized a cooling fan mounted to its flywheel, and belly pans below the engine and transmission ensured proper airflow. The engine was officially rated at fifty horsepower (actual output was closer to 80 horsepower) and it was paired with a four-speed manual transmission with direct drive in fourth. A torque-tube delivers power to a 'Clamshell' rear axle. The Type 56 had a leaf spring suspension and rear-wheel drum brakes. The body was formed from aluminum over wood framing, with steel fenders and hood. The wood-spoked artillery wheels had de-mountable rims, and wood was used in the firewall, interior trim, and windshield frame.

Initially, the American Fiat was offered with just one body style, with four different coachwork types being offered for 1913 in both open and closed configurations. The selection of body colors expanded to four, including Fiat Blue. The seven-passenger touring car was priced at around $5,000 and the limousine added approximately $1,000 to the price.

During the height of American Fiat production, approximately 350 cars were built annually. As the United States entered the Great War in 1917, the company was reabsorbed into its Italian parent company due to shrinking sales. In 1917, FIAT reduced its production in Poughkeepsie to only four-cylinder cars, and production ceased altogether in early 1918. The factory was later sold to Duesenberg.

by Dan Vaughan

7-Passenger Tourer
Chassis number: S1570
Engine number: 6144

Giovanni Agnelli, who had been managing director of F.I.A.T. (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) since 1902, inaugurated the American Fiat Automobile Company in 1909 along the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, New York. Due to the 45 percent duties that were imposed on imported cars, Agnelli needed to establish a manufacturing plant to serve the American market. The new U.S. Company retained the rights to FIAT's manufacturing designs and the parent firm received a royalty on every car built in the United States. The first products were a couple of four-cylinder designs. A few years later, in 1912, a new six-cylinder, 45-horsepower, 8.6-liter engine of mono-block construction with integral water-jacketed intake and exhaust manifolds was introduced on the Model 56. This big under-square six utilized a cooling fan mounted to its flywheel, and belly pans below the engine and transmission ensured proper airflow.

The Model 56 were built exclusively for American customers and initially available only as a seven-passenger touring car resting on a 135-inch wheelbase. A broader selection of body styles soon followed. The final year for the Model 56 was in 1916, with the choice of body styles reduced to five. In 1917, FIAT reduced its production in Poughkeepsie to only four-cylinder cars, and the American factory closed in 1918.

This particular Model 56 is a seven-passenger touring car believed to have been originally sold in Los Angeles. The early history is not known; around 1952, it was purchased by Mr. Colin 'Ernie' Shaw of Santa Rosa, California from a dentist in Los Angeles. It had been damaged in a storage facility fire, and the owner didn't want to deal with the repairs. Mr. Shaw, aided by the help of several friends, began work on its repairs, replacing several areas of damaged aluminum with sheet tin, and the burned wooden firewall and windshield frame with new material.

After Ernie's passing, the car was bequeathed to his son, who sold it in 2013 to its current caretaker.

This largely original example is equipped with a four-speed transmission with direct drive in fourth. A torque-tube delivers power to a 'Clamshell' rear axle. The car rides on large wood-spoked artillery wheels with de-mountable rims. Brakes are rear-wheel only. The body was manufactured at FIAT's Poughkeepsie plant and constructed from aluminum over wood framing, with steel fenders and hood.

The car is finished in cream and black and has never been restored cosmetically. The engine was recently rebuilt by Boulevard Motorcar Company in Westlake Village, California.

by Dan Vaughan

F.I.A.T. (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) was established in 1899 in Turin, Italy. Giovanni Agnelli became managing director of F.I.A.T. in 1902. Agnelli explored the possibility of opening a manufacturing plant in America, as a means of reducing shipping and export costs. In 1909, the American F.I.A.T. Automobile Company was introduced with its new plant located near the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, New York.

By this point in history, there were plenty of automobile manufacturers, engine suppliers, and coachbuilders. Henry Ford was putting the world on wheels with his Model T, and there was no shortage of elegant and luxurious automakers, such as Pierce-Arrow, Packard, Peerless, and Cadillac. Fiat was determined to create an American-built luxury car of their own. For 1913, their large vehicles ranged from $4,000 to $6,100. The 'entry' models were the Type 53, 54, and 55 powered by a four-cylinder engine. The Type 56 - ranging in price from $5,000 to $6,400, was powered by a six-cylinder engine. Production of the US exclusive model began in 1912 and lasted until 1916. Bodystyles included Touring, Phaeton, Landaulet, and Limousine and rested on a 135-inch wheelbase. Upfront was a large, 8.6-liter, L-head straight six developing 45 horsepower. Power was sent to the rear 27-inch artillery-spoke wooden wheels via a torque tube. The vehicles were kept in the driver's control via an internally expanding mechanical drum brakes plus an externally contracting parking brake.

by Dan Vaughan