Prior to World War 1, the world records for the flying mile and the flying kilometre were highly coveted. Mercedes Benz laid claim to both with their monstrous 21 litre "Blitzen Benz". Fiat decided to challenge the record with their own little four cylinder Italian sports car, the Tipo S76 also known as the Beast of Turin.
Here it is in all of it's gigantic bigness. In sharp contrast to it's incredible height, the body is very narrow. The stroke of the massive twenty-four inch long connecting rods are the reason for the body's exaggerated elevation.
In 1911, due to his dislike of hauling a trailer and trucking, the S76 was actually driven by Pietro Bordino on public roads to Saltburn Sands near Middlesbrough, U.K. Along the way, his passenger reported speeds of 120 miles per hour on those skinny tires and little or no brakes, all the while the exhaust ports belching fire and brimstone at unweary pedestrians. At Saltburn, the sand was damp resulting in a disappointing 116 mph run which was still good enough to clinch the record for the flying mile.
The car so it was all but forgotten until a wealthy Russian, Prince Boris Sukhavnov, purchased it and hired Arthur Duray to go after the speed records once more. Ostend, Belgium was chosen for the venue. Six weeks elapsed and no record was achieved so they walked away without the title. However, they did reach a one way run of 134 mph but was unable to manage a return run within the prescribed one hour of the first run which was a new requirement to establish an official record. But consider just for a moment the fact that this car, built over one hundred years ago (1910) and with the fearless Bordino at the controls, attained a speed that most new cars on the road today are quite incapable of reaching. Boggles the mind.
This image shows the car without the exhaust system, only the stubby exhaust ports peeking out of the cowl. As a nod to very early aerodynamics, the crank handle was sharpened to a point. Final drive was by chain and sprocket, one at each rear wheel. The car shown here is the record car which was sold many times after 1913, at one point ending up at Tampico, Mexico. The no. 2 car was likely broken up by Fiat, as they had no further use for the car.
Duncan Pittway builds Edwardian Automobiles. He caught wind of a Fiat S76 while tracking other Edwardian parts in Australia. He uncovered the No. 1 S76 and purchased it. The original No.1 engine had long since disappeared, possibly having served as the motive power for an airship. In it's place sat a Stutz power plant. The original body was gone as well as the rear end. With copies of the original drawings, Pittway and crew set about to restore the car. The body and gearbox were built from scratch as per the drawings. The task of finding the engine was no small task, compounded by the refusal from Fiat for any sort of assistance. As luck would have it, the No.2 engine was on permanent display just a few blocks from Fiat at the Turin Technical College Museum. Many hours of negotiations through translators secured the only known copy of the S76 engine.
The original frame from the No.1 car after being completely redone. Notice the drilled crossmembers.
The engine is a massive affair. It displaces 28.4 litres of volume, produces 300 horse power, has an overhead cam and 16 valves, four per cylinder. Those big honking' pistons measure 7.5 inches in diameter and are joined to the crank by connecting rods measuring a full 24 inches long. The little end bearings were seized but otherwise the engine was in fairly good shape, it wouldn't have had many miles on it. Back to those cylinders for a moment. The displacement being 28.4 litres, that means you could effectively pour 7.1 litres of oil into each cylinder. Think about that for a second here, that means each of the four cylinders has the equivalent of a 427 cubic inch motor ! Four big block 427 Corvette engines in one century old cast iron block.
Brand new 100 year old gearbox, every part machined according to original drawings. How friggin' cool is that.
The moment of truth. The Beast comes to life after sitting quiet for more than 100 years. Although, as the old saying goes, that a picture is worth a thousand words, so much more could be written about this historic treasure. But what about video? Click on the link below to see the trailer for a brilliant soon to be released documentary on the restoration of "The Beast of Turin". This film was done by the very talented Sefan Marjoram whose still photography is exceptional and his video the same. So now, clear the room of small children and turn the volume up as loud as it goes. You can thank me later.
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