FIAT 8V This amazing car was Fiat's first post-war sports car, a surprising car to come from the

At most, 114 8Vs were built between 1952 and 1954 and efforts to market it were localized, although foreign-language brochures were produced for each of the two principal versions. The 8V, Tipo 106, was one of the sensations of the 1952 Geneva Motor Show. It had come into being largely because its engine — a narrow-angle V-8 intended for a stillborn saloon — showed such promise that the technical men were able to persuade the business men not to abandon it. It was a short-stroke unit, oddly with a three-main-bearing crankshaft, exhaust manifolds on the outside of the cylinder head and a single overhead camshaft in the vee operat-ing valves via pushrods and rocker arms. In both first and second series cars it was rated at 110bhp; competition versions produced up to 127bhp. A straightforward cross-braced chassis was welded to a two-shell steel body, making for a car which was rigid and surprisingly light (dry weight was 930kg), with a cockpit so narrow that the two seats

were staggered. The large steering wheel and instrument binnacle were typical of the period, and the apparently generous space within the fastback was in fact restricted by the horizontally-stowed spare wheel. Suspension was independent all round, by coil springs and wishbones. The claimed maximum speed of the standard cars was about 180kph (112mph), and if anything this was conservative. In the second series version (illustrated) the lines were cleaned up, especially around the nose, while most of the leading Italian coachbuilders produced bodies for the 8V, with varying results: Farina were responsible for one of the best and one of the worst, Vignale had middling aesthetic success, and Zagato concentrated on light competition coupes. Outside Italy, the 8Vs were rarities, and a 1953 Le Mans entry with experimental five-speed gearbox raced for only an hour. In Italy, they were used in races, rallies and hill climbs, with class successes in all three activities. Final experiments included a glass fibre body which was out-wardly standard, and the 8V was used as the basis for Fiat's 1954 gas turbine car. That was the year that half-hearted production of this under-exploited and inexpensive sports car ceased, probably because Fiat were just not ready for it.

Specification Engine: 70-degree V-8; 72 x 61.3mm, 1996cc; single ohc per bank; twin Weber carburettors; 110bhp at 6000rpm. Gearbox: four-speed manual. Chassis: tubular, with integral steel bodywork; front and rear suspension independent by wishbones, coil springs, dampers and anti-roll bars; four-wheel drum brakes, with transmission handbrake. Dimensions: wheelbase 2 4 0 cm/ 9 4 4in; track 12 9cm/ 51in.