1952 Fiat 8V

Following decades of producing rather pedestrian models such as the Topolino and the 500, Fiat shocked the automotive world with its 8V. It was a boutique-production sports car equipped with an advanced overhead-valve light alloy V8 engine installed in a Siata-fabricated chassis and suspended by an independent suspension. Known as the Otto Vu in Italian, Fiat's 106 Series 8V was developed in secret and introduced in 1952 at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Fiat 8V would provide the esteemed marque with an enviable postwar competition record, with its aluminum engine allowing it to become a serious contender in the popular two-liter class. Equally impressive was its aesthetics, with distinctive bodies produced in-house along with a variety of custom coachwork created by Italy's most distinguished carrozzerie. Among the list were Pinin Farina, Ghia, and Zagato who created a number of dramatic and unique one-off designs.

The length of production was brief, beginning in 1952 and continuing through 1954, with 114 examples built during that time. Of those, fifty-eight examples wore factory bodies with the first six of those being built by Giorgio Ambrosini's Siata, the tuning specialists that had long served as Fiat's in-house competition and customization department.

Thirty of the fifty-eight factory-bodied examples were Series 1 examples distinguished by a single headlight. The other twenty-eight examples were known as Series 2 cars and had slanting quad headlights. Additionally, three chassis were shipped from Torino with no records as to their eventual destination. Ghia bodied fifteen examples with six of those wearing the space-age 'Supersonic' design. Vignale bodied ten cars, with nine being coupes and one a convertible. Pininfarina bodied a single example, and Zagato clothed 21 cars, including six coupes known as Elaboratas. The Elaboratas were similar to the factory Rapi bodies but with the distinctive Zagato double-bubble roofline.

The Fiat 8V, or Otto Vu, received its name because Fiat believed Ford held the copyright on 'V8.' So it reversed the order - 8V. The origins of the Fiat V8 engine date to the spring of 1948, when technical director Dante Giacosa began working on a V-6 engine intended for a six-passenger, American-style touring sedan. Development never advanced beyond the inception stage, but the Giacosa-designed engine would provide inspiration for the Tipo 104 V8. This engine featured a forged crankshaft, polished intakes and port, tubular 4x1 stainless steel exhaust manifolds, a finned aluminum sump, and an unusual 70-degree architecture. It had a 1,996cc displacement size, 8.5:1 compression ratio (initially), and two twin-choke Weber 36 DCF 3 carburetors. In this guise, the engine developed 104 horsepower at 5,600 RPM. An improved Type 104.003 version followed which had different camshaft timing which boosted output to 113 horsepower at 6,000 RPM. The final evolution of the motor was known as the Type 104.006 and it had revised camshaft timing, modifications to the fuel system, a raised compression of 8.75:1, and produced 125 horsepower at 6,600 RPM. The engine was paired to a four-speed gearbox and stopping power was courtesy of four-wheel drum brakes. The 94.5-inch wheelbase chassis had an overall length of 159.1 inches, stood 50.8 inches tall, and was 61.8 inches wide. The Borrani wire wheels had Rudge knock-off hubs.

Siata built the chassis and many of the mechanical components. In fact, the 8V did not share any parts with other Fiat vehicles except for its differential. Once the chassis was complete, many were sent to the Carrozzerie Speciali FIAT in Lingotto where they received factory coachwork to a design by Fabio Lucio Rapi that was aerodynamically fine-tuned in the Turin wind tunnel.

Fiat has had a long and storied history, but the 8V was its only model to feature the overhead-valve V8.

by Dan Vaughan

Spider by Zagato
Chassis number: 000005

This Fiat 8V is one of the six prototype 8V cars hand-built by the factory. It originally left the factory fitted with a Rapi body and was run in the 1952 Mille Miglia. The second owner commissioned Zagato to create a stylish Barchetta body with no windows to race in the Sport Class. In 1953 it returned to the Mille Miglia wearing its new Zagato spider body. Just a month after the Mille, the 8V crashed and flipped over at the Giro di Sardegna and the driver was tragically killed. Since the chassis and engine were largely intact, the car was sent back to Zagato to craft a new body for the car. Zagato made only one minor modification to the front end in 1955, which is the current body on the car. This is the only Otto Vu Zagato Spider ever produced, making this car a one-off car.

The curvaceous and glorious Fiat 8V was given its name due to its eight-cylinder engine in 'vee' configuration. The engineers had though that the Ford Motor Company had exclusive rights to the name 'V8', which later turned out not to be the case, but the name 8V was already given. The engine displaced just over 120 cubic-inches and produced around 110 horsepower. Fitting the larger engine in the relatively small engine bay was achieved by placing the engine at a 70-degree angle. The eight cylinder engine had been intended to power a luxury vehicle, but soon decided against the idea and did not enter the highly exclusive luxury market.

Production of the 8V Fiat lasted only two years with a total of 114 examples being produced. Most were given coachwork by either Zagato, Vignale or Ghia. Zagato bodied approximately 30 examples with eight being given lightweight aluminum bodies intended primarily for competition. Thirty-four examples were fitted with original Carrozzeria Speciale FIAT bodywork.

The 8V was a disaster in the marketplace but victorious on the racing circuit, capturing important victories at the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio.

by Dan Vaughan

The Fiat 8V, also known as 'Ottu Vu' in Italian, was first shown to the public at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show. Production lasted from 1952 through 1954 with a total of 114 examples being produced. The car was powered by a V8 engine, and since Fiat thought that Ford held the trademark for 'V8', they dubbed their vehicle the 8V. The design was courtesy of Dante Giacosa and stylist Fabio Lucio Rapi.

Of the 114 examples produced, many were unique. They had been designed for competition, specifically the two-liter class in the Italian Championship. The 2.0-liter V8 engines were fed through two Weber 36 DCF3 Carburetors and produced 105-115 horsepower, depending on configuration. There was a four-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel drum brakes, with an independent suspension comprised of coil springs, telescopic shocks, stabilizer bar and transverse wishbones. The lightweight bodies, especially those from Zagato, were mounted on a traditional tubular steel frame. The factory bodies had two large headlights in the grill with two small lights in the fenders. There was a second series of the bodies, which had changes to comply with GT regulations. These changes resulted in four headlights in the fender.

The Fiat 8Vs did well in competition, especially those created by Zagato. The bodies were lightweight and the engines were highly tuned. In 1954, the Fiat 8V won the Championship and cemented these cars potential in history.

Of the 114 examples produced, 34 had coachwork by Carozzeria Speciale FIAT. Carrozzeria Zagato produced bodies for 32, which were known as 'Elaborata Zagato.' The rest of the bodies, which were mostly coupes with a few spyders, were created by Ghia and Vignale.

by Dan Vaughan