The Fiat 8V (or "Otto Vu") is a V8-engined

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

produced by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

car manufacturer

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

from 1952 to 1954. The car was introduced at the 1952

Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...

. The Fiat 8V got its name because at the time of its making, Fiat believed

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

had a

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

on "V8". With 114 made, the 8V wasn't a commercial success, but did well in racing. Apart from the differential the car did not share any parts with the other Fiats (but many parts were made by

Siata Siata (''Società Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori'' in English ''Italian Car Transformation Accessories Company'') was an Italian car tuning shop and manufacturer founded in 1926 by amateur race car driver Giorgio Ambrosini. Siata initiall ...

and they used them for their cars). The 8V was developed by

Dante Giacosa Dante Giacosa (3 January 1905 - 31 March 1996) was an Italian automobile designer and engineer responsible for a range of Italian automobile designs — and for refining the front-wheel drive layout to an industry-standard configuration. Front ...

and the stylist

Luigi Rapi Fabio Luigi Rapi (born 1902), was an Italian automobile designer. Worked for Fiat and later Autobianchi. He was the design director at Fiat's ''Dipartimento Carrozzerie Derivate e Speciali''. Notable designs * Fiat 1100/103 TV Trasformabile * Fiat ...

. The engine was a V8 originally designed for a luxury sedan, but that project was stopped. The Fiat V8 had a 70 degree V configuration, displaced 1,996 cc and was fitted with two twin-choke Weber

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...

s. In its first iteration (type ''104.000'') the engine had a

compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values. A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...

of 8.5:1 and produced at 5,600 rpm, giving the car a top speed of . Improved type ''104.003'' had different camshaft timing for at 6,000 rpm; finally type ''104.006'' with an 8.75:1 compression ratio, revised camshaft timing and fuel system put out at 6,600 rpm. The engine was connected to a four speed gearbox. The car had independent suspension all round and drum brakes on all four wheels. Top management were preoccupied with more run of the mill projects, however, and only 114 of the high-performance coupés had been produced by the time the cars were withdrawn from production in 1954. Nevertheless, they continued to win the Italian 2-litre GT championship every year until 1959. 34 of the cars had a factory produced bodywork by Fiat's ''Dipartimento Carrozzerie Derivate e Speciali'' ("Special Bodies Department"). Some cars had the bodywork done by other Italian coachbuilders. Carrozzeria Zagato made 30 that they labelled "Elaborata Zagato".

Ghia Carrozzeria Ghia SpA (established 1916 in Turin) is an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding firm, established by Giacinto Ghia and Gariglio as "Carrozzeria Ghia & Gariglio". The headquarters are located at Corso Guglielmo Marconi, 4, Turin ...

and

Vignale Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe.cabriolets were made as well. An example fitted with a factory-style glass-fibre reinforced plastic body was displayed at the 1954

Turin Motor Show The Turin Motor Show ( it, Salone dell'Automobile di Torino) was an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from 1 ...

. The composite bodyshell—produced by Fiat's experimental bodywork department—weighed just . This 8V is a part of FCA Heritage collection and currently resides in the Centro Storico Fiat in Turin.

Ghia Supersonic

Ghia designed and produced a limited run of cars named 'Supersonic', with special 'jet age' bodywork. Ghia had recently been sold by Boano to Luigi Segre, and a one-off

Alfa Romeo 1900 The Alfa Romeo 1900 is an automobile produced by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1950 until 1959. Designed by Orazio Satta, it was an important development for Alfa Romeo as the marque's first car built entirely on a production line and f ...

had been built for a wealthy entrant in the 1953

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...

race. The car was displayed at the Turin show same year and the reaction inspired Segre to plan a limited production of cars based on the Otto Vu, aimed at the American market. Only eight were completed, after mechanical issues ended the project. Several of the cars were purchased by Americans; some were heavily customized and received engine transplants. An original un-restored car sold at a Scottsdale, Arizona Gooding and Company auction in January 2011 with a gavel price of US$1.55 million ($1.7M including buyer's premium). Ghia would later use its basic body shape on Jaguar XK-120–based vehicles as well as Aston Martin. Design of 'Supersonic' is credited to

Giovanni Savonuzzi Giovanni Savonuzzi (Ferrara 28 January 1911 – Ferrara 18 February 1988) was an Italian automobile designer. Savonuzzi received a degree in mechanical engineering from Politecnico di Torino in 1939 and worked for Fiat Aviazione and taught in a ...

. File:1953 Fiat 8V Demon Rouge.jpg, ''Demon Rouge'' 1953 by Michelotti at Vignale (3 made) File:Fiat 8V Vignale (7872678434).jpg, One-off by

Vignale Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe.Vignale Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe.Zagato Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in Terrazzano, a small village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. The company's premises occupies an area of 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft)- 11,000 of ...

File:Fiat 8V Zagato (26304820441).jpg, ''Elaborata'' by Zagato bubble roof File:Fiat 8V Coupe by Ghia.jpg, The only non-Supersonic Fiat 8V bodied by

File:1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic.JPG, ''Supersonic'' by Ghia 1953

References

External links

Fiat Otto Vu: the obscure sports car
{{Fiat 8V Sports cars Cars introduced in 1952