| Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Isotta Fraschini |
| Production | 1919 - 1924 1,380 produced (all Tipo 8 variants) [1] |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Luxury car |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | ohv 5,902 cc (360.2 cu in) straight-8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual 4-speed manual in late models [2] |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A |
The Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 is an Italian luxury car made between 1919 and 1924.
The Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 is an automobile introduced in 1919 by Isotta Fraschini, a company which underwent a complete change after World War I. Until that time building a wide variety of models, the company adopted a single-series policy. Like many high end vehicles of the day, the car came from Isotta Fraschini as a chassis only. Bodies were typically from Italy's top-tier coachbuilders, Carrozzeria Castagna and Cesare Sala, but other European and American coachbuilding firms lent their hands to the task of supplying bodies. It was the first serial produced car in the world to be equipped with a straight-8 engine. [3] With this car the company gained great name and success as a luxury car manufacturer. The main rival of the car was Rolls-Royce. [1] The Tipo 8 was offered only with bare chassis and engine for the coachbuilders. [4]
The Tipo 8's 5.9-liter overhead valve, overhead cam, was the first inline 8 engine offered in a production car. Initially producing 80 bhp (60 kW) and soon raised to 90 bhp (67 kW). [1] There was no exterior intake manifold, instead the twin carburetors attached directly to the block. Transmissions were three-speed manual. The car had top speed of around 85 mph (137 km/h) to 90 mph (140 km/h).
The Tipo 8 and its revolutionary straight-8 engine were the basis for its successors, the Tipo 8A and Tipo 8B.
The straight-eight engine or inline-eight engine is an eight-cylinder internal combustion engine with all eight cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase. The type has been produced in side-valve, IOE, overhead-valve, sleeve-valve, and overhead-cam configurations.
Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company, Inc. was an American racing and luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is known for popularizing the straight-eight engine and four-wheel hydraulic brakes. A Duesenberg car was the first American car to win a Grand Prix race, winning the 1921 French Grand Prix. Duesenbergs won the Indianapolis 500 in 1922, 1924, 1925 and 1927. Transportation executive Errett Lobban Cord acquired the Duesenberg corporation in 1926. The company was sold and dissolved in 1937.
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Isotta Fraschini is an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 1955 it was merged with engine manufacturer Breda Motori and renamed F.A. Isotta Fraschini e Motori Breda.
The Alfa Romeo 8C was a range of Alfa Romeo road, race and sports cars of the 1930s.
Invicta is a British automobile manufacturer. The brand has been available intermittently through successive decades. Initially, the manufacturer was based in Cobham, Surrey, England, from 1925 to 1933, then in Chelsea, London, England, from 1933 to 1938 and finally in Virginia Water, Surrey, England, from 1946 to 1950. More recently, the name was revived for the Invicta S1 sports car produced between 2004 and 2012.
The Bentley 3 Litre was a car chassis manufactured by Bentley. The company's first, it was developed from 1919 and made available to customers' coachbuilders from 1921 to 1929. The Bentley was very much larger than the 1368 cc Bugattis that dominated racing at the time, but double the size of engine and strength compensated for the extra weight. The 4000 lb (1800 kg) car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, with drivers John Duff and Frank Clement, and again in 1927, this time in Super Sports form, with drivers S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis and Dudley Benjafield. Its weight, size, and speed prompted Ettore Bugatti to call it "the fastest lorry in the world", which was regarded as a compliment. Built in 3 main variants, Blue label, Red Label Speed models all carrying a 5-year warranty, and the coveted and rare Green Label 100 mph cars, which only carried a 12-month warranty reflecting the high state of tune.
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The Standard Eight is a small car produced by the British Standard Motor Company from 1938 to 1959.
The Lancia Artena is a passenger car produced by Italian car manufacturer Lancia from 1931 until 1936, and from 1940 until 1942 chiefly for army and government use. It was powered by a 2-litre Lancia V4 engine, while chassis and factory bodies were shared with the more luxurious 2.6-litre V8-engined Lancia Astura. Total production amounted to 5,567 examples.
The Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A is a luxury car made by the Italian manufacturer Isotta Fraschini from 1924 until 1931. It was the successor to the Tipo 8 model, with a new 7.3-litre straight-eight engine to replace the 5.9-litre unit used in the previous model. This new engine could produce 115–160 metric horsepower (85–118 kW). This was the most powerful mass-produced straight-8 engine in the world at that time. The Tipo 8A was offered only with bare chassis and engine for the coachbuilders.
The Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8B is an Italian luxury car made between 1931 and 1934.
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The Isotta Fraschini T8 and T12 are Italian concept cars revealed in 1996 and 1998 respectively as an attempt by Isotta Fraschini to resurrect their prestigious luxury automotive brand name of the early 20th century.
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