When Fiat went Supersonic
Fiat can trace its roots back to 1899 and although it built both massive and magnificent competition cars in the early twentieth century, after World War II the company was known largely for its mass-produced vehicles, such as the tiny ‘Topolino’ that put a nation on wheels.
Therefore, it came as a shock to the automotive world when Fiat suddenly introduced a powerful sports car with an advanced overhead-valve light alloy V8 engine, Siata-fabricated chassis, and four-wheel independent suspension, which was successfully raced by privateers all over the world.
Like most sophisticated chassis of the time, the 8V lent itself handsomely to custom coachwork, which Fiat encouraged. Carrozzeria Ghia of Torino accounted for around 30-40 of the chassis built, of which the most striking were the 15 bodied to Giovanni Savonuzzi’s stunning Jet Age design, known, simply and appropriately as the ‘Supersonic.’
The Supersonic design had originally been proposed for an Alfa Romeo racing car, which Savonuzzi gave a steeply raked, long windshield; a curved nose that formed a straight-through beltline, ending at small tail fins flaring off lights intended to resemble jet afterburners; and a low, glassy greenhouse.
Similar styling on an 8V chassis was subsequently ordered by American designer Paul Farago, and 14 more examples followed, all of which had detail differences but remained largely true to Savonuzzi’s original and dramatic design. They are considered the most sought-after and desirable 8Vs, as they boast the best combination of avant-garde design from the Jet Age. Even today they are stunningly modern and dramatic and turn heads wherever they go. Few cars are so capable of stopping concours crowds in their tracks.
This example was originally the property of General Motors designer Henry de Segur Lauve, a concept artist behind the original Corvette prototype, after he attended the Supersonic official debut at the 1953 Paris Auto Show. Lauve was struck by the styling of the new model and placed an order for his own. Typical of the 8Vs, the car featured exquisite hardware throughout, including the interior with an elaborate Ghia-badged speedometer behind the wood-rimmed steering wheel.
RM Sotheby's will be offering this beautiful 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic at their upcoming Elkhart Collection auction held between the 23rd-24th October. For more information on this and other vehicles at the sale, click on the link below. Photos: Darin Schnabel © Courtesy of RM Sotheby's.