The

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 ...

S74 was a racing

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

first raced 1903. In the early 20th century Fiat was heavily involved in racing to promote the reliability and mechanical fortitude of their brand. It was not uncommon for the early four-cylinder engines to displace over ten liters; many reaching into the 20-liter range. For Fiat, they too found provenance in expanding their engines. Their answer in the 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup race, an early type of "Grand Prix" racing, was the S74; a 75-horsepower racer which displaced fourteen liters from its four-cylinder engine. It was first raced by

Vincenzo Lancia Vincenzo Lancia (24 August 1881 – 15 February 1937) was an Italian racing driver, engineer and founder of Lancia. Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of Fobello on 24 August 1881, close to Turin; his family tree starts in Fabello ...

(the future founder of the

Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...

Company) and Fiat's

works driver In motorsports, a factory-backed racing team or driver is one sponsored by a vehicle manufacturer in official competitions. As motorsport competition is an expensive endeavor, some degree of factory support is desired and often necessary for suc ...

. He drove in the 1903 Paris-Madrid race, two US

Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nassa ...

races, Multiple Grand Prix races, and possibly more. The

1912 French Grand Prix The 1912 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 25–26 June 1912. The Race The race was run over two days with the drivers completing ten laps on each day and their times being aggregated to produce the winner (similar ...

was arguably the best showing for the S74 then eight years old. Fiat had their S74 racer in the hands of many including David Bruce-Brown who was in the lead for much of the race. He was disqualified for refueling away from the pits.

Ralph De Palma Raffaele "Ralph" De Palma (December 19, 1882 – March 31, 1956) was an Italian-American racecar driving champion who won the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2,00 ...

, also driving a S74, was as well disqualified from the race due to repairs performed outside of the pits. First place went to

Georges Boillot Georges Louis Frederic Boillot (August 3, 1884 – May 19, 1916) was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver and World War I fighter pilot. Biography Born in Valentigney, Doubs, Boillot was a mechanic by training who began automobile racing in ...

and his

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...

followed by Louis Wagner in a Fiat S74.

Existing examples

One of these S74 fiats Is owned by George Wingard in Oregon and on a good year it can be seen racing at Laguna Seca's Monterey Historic Races or the

Goodwood Festival of Speed The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsports festival featuring modern and historic motor racing vehicles taking part in a hillclimbing, hill climb and other events, held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England, in l ...

in Great Britain.

References

External links

The Fiat S74 at Conceptcarz

Video of S76
{{Fiat S74 Fiat S74 Fiat S74 Fiat S74