1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic

This car sold for $452,800 at the Sportscar Auction, Geneva, Switzerland, October 7, 2006.

The Fiat 8V was an interesting, (if ultimately dead end) creation of the mass market firm.

Part of a project for a large luxury car to better appeal to the American market, the V8 engine was developed for a still-born Fiat sedan but found a welcome home in a sports car instead. Small, at under two liters and with a 70-degree angle V design, it produced 105 hp in original trim, later uprated to 115 hp with hotter cams, higher compression, and dual two-barrel Weber carburetors. The ultimate variant had four-barrel Webers and a four-port head, giving 125 hp. The 8V proved effective against contemporary two-liter competition from Lancia, Maserati, and Ferrari.

SKUNK WORKS PROJECT

After the planned sedan was dropped, a group of engineers at Fiat decided that the engine was too interesting to lose. In a “skunk works” project, housed in Fiat’s aircraft division, development continued. The aircraft connection actually became a challenge later on. Aircraft engines are typically not high revving and details such as oil circulation were not optimized for auto racing.

On the other hand, the potential weak spot of the three main bearing bottom end was addressed by increasing the clearances to account for crankshaft flex. Once the engineers had the motor they wanted, it was presented to management, who authorized the construction of the sports car.

SIATA ALSO USED 8V PACKAGE

Fiat built 170 Otto Vu “groups”—a package consisting of the engine, gearbox, and suspension. Fifty-six of them went to Siata, which built mostly spiders and a few coupes, and the rest became Fiats. They were sophisticated in concept, with oval-tube space frames (later simplified to round section) and fully-independent suspension all around.

Like the engine, the suspension was also a refugee from an abandoned project. Fiat and Alfa had been commissioned by the Italian military to design a “jeep” vehicle. Alfa won the competition, but part of the spec of the Fiat version included a remarkable suspension system with a light alloy cast housing and an articulated needle-bearing arm containing the shock hydraulics and spring. Adapted to the 8V chassis, it was very light and capable, contributing to the car’s reputation for superior road holding. These were the first Fiats with four-wheel independent suspension, and they were far more advanced than the Ferraris and Maseratis of the era.

Forty of the 114 cars built carried factory-built bodies designed by Rapi. They had the purposeful look of a racer, with a certain Art Deco charm but few (myself excluded) would call them beautiful. As to be expected, it’s the coachbuilt versions that command the most interest today. Zagato built 30, some mildly modified from the factory design, most with the iconic double-bubble look for which they are known.

ZAGATO VERSIONS WON RACES

The Zagato versions also racked up many of the Otto Vu’s more important competition results, including a class win in the 1955 Targa Florio and 1957 Mille Miglia. The 8V was also the overall winner of the 1956 Italian Sports Car Championship. Surprisingly, the most prolific builder of the 8V was Ghia, which clothed 50 of the sports cars in a variety of styles ranging from quite clean and sober to flamboyant.

Auto manufacturers and designers had long been fascinated with the links between cars and airplanes. In the late 1940s, with the appearance of supersonic jet fighter planes, the interest reached fever pitch. By the early 1950s, most Italian design houses were showing cars that incorporated “air intake” grilles and “jet exhaust” rear ends.

Ghia was no exception. The man who penned the Supersonic we discuss here, Giovanni Savonuzzi, was the creator of the original Cisitalia 202 streamliner coupe and Spider Nuvolari. Ghia used the Supersonic body on a number of platforms. Three Jaguar XK 120s, an Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk II, and an Alfa Romeo 1900SS shared it with the Fiat 8V, which had the largest production at eight.

8VS NEVER CHEAP OLD CARS

The Fiat 8V has, thanks to its rarity and performance pedigree, always been desirable. They never became cheap old cars, although the market for them was at one time much smaller. The 8V has also avoided the common stigma of being a really expensive car from a cheap manufacturer—not an easy feat.

Modern techniques and analysis have also made the cars more reliable and more powerful. Knute Kolemann is acknowledged as an 8V guru. The Prescott, Arizona-based engine builder has assembled engines for Fiats and Siatas that can deliver up to 160 hp and run up to 7,000 rpm without issues, thanks to improved oil circulation and tolerances. They are now the perfect vintage rally and race rides and a certain entry to any event in the world from the Mille Miglia Storica on down.

Chassis 39, the car sold in Geneva, is very well known in 8V circles and is acknowledged to be a superb restoration to a very high standard. With the best of the Zagato-bodied cars selling for $500,000, it’s not surprising this Ghia example brought a similar price, as the Supersonic is arguably one of the most beautiful shapes to drape the chassis. Although the price was high, I would have to consider it right on the money.