Thought a 540 HEMI (8.8-liter) crate engine is big and loud? Well, Fiat had an even more badass engine long before MOPAR badges made their way on some of its cars. It’s the 1910 Fiat S76 and it’s the best car Fiat ever made...
At least it is in my book, and this happens because the S76 is powered by a naturally aspirated 28.4-liter (1,733 cui) engine... an inline-four banger to be specific. Yeah, you could actually stick you head into one of the cylinders.
Fiat built this beauty here back in 1910 with one purpose - break the land speed record, which it actually did, reaching 290 km/h (180 mph) in 1912 at Long Island after it clocked 200 km/h (124 mph) on the Brooklands circuit in 1911.
The S76, also known as The Beast Of Turin, was probably the most advanced car of its time, coming with four valves per cylinder, overhead cams and multi-spark ignition, all squeezing 290 hp from that humongous block.
The last of its kind
There were only two unit made and after about 100 years we can hear and see one working again. In fact we can see both at the same time, because the restored one here is actually built using parts from both cars.
And all that happened thanks to mister Duncan Pittaway, who managed to track down the remains of one of the cars’ chassis in Austria and eventually unite it with the engine from the other S76.
Finding all the parts and putting the car back together must have cost a fortune, both time and money, but as you can see in the videos below, it was worth every penny and minute. And you too should be able to see the Fiat monster in flesh and bone at next year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed where it should do the big climb if everything goes alright.
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