1953 Fiat 8V Fixed Head Coupe

Fiat is one of Italy’s oldest and greatest car manufacturers and, although remarkably successful in early motor racing, has made surprisingly few real sports cars. The Turin firm won the French Grand Prix in 1907 and again in 1922 when Nazzaro won the race at 79.10 mph in a two-liter Fiat. Yet the first notable sports car to emerge was, arguably, the 1934 Fiat 508 “Balilla,” following several class wins by various Fiats in the Mille Miglias of the late 1920s and early ’30s.

Fiat sprung something of a surprise at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show when they introduced their next competition car, the two-liter vee-eight engined 8V. It was designed for motor racing and became very successful, its long and distinguished record including the two-liter GT Championship Italy in 1954.

The light alloy V8 engine was novel in that the angle between cylinder banks was 70° to keep the unit narrow, and the 8V’s chassis was of tubular steel; suspension was independent...