Fiat · 1910–present
Fiat S76
The Fiat S76, later also known as Fiat 300 HP Record and nicknamed "The Beast of Turin", is a race car built in 1910 by the Italian company Fiat specifically to beat the land speed records held in those years by the Blitzen Benz. Its 28,353 cc displacement engine, intended for airships like Forlanini, delivered 290 hp. Only two examples were built.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Technical specifications
The S76 had a 4-cylinder engine with a displacement of 28,353 cc (1,730.2 cu in) (190 mm × 250 mm, 7.48in × 9.84in), providing 290 metric horsepower (210 kW) at 1400 rpm, 4 valves (3 valves in the airship engine) starting with trembler coil, 2 spark plugs per cylinder (3 spark plugs in the airship engine), ignition with high voltage magneto BOSCH type DR4/4, water cooling, transmission with chain drive, axle suspension rigid with front and rear leaf springs (rear longitudinal struts), and 4-speed gearbox plus reverse gear. The radiator design of this "prototype" for records was reused by Fiat for subsequent road models.
History
The first S76 was constructed in 1910 and kept by Fiat. It was tested by Felice Nazzaro, who considered the 38 short cwt (1,700 kg) car 'uncontrollable'. The second S76 was sold by Fiat to Russian Prince Boris Soukhanov, in 1911. Soukhanov originally hired Pietro Bordino to drive the car on the Brooklands motor racing circuit in Weybridge, Surrey, England. Bordino refused to drive the car faster than 90 mph. It was later driven at the Saltburn Sands beach near Redcar & Cleveland, England, where it reached speeds of 116 mph (187 km/h). Soukhanov then hired Belgian driver Arthur Duray in a December 1913 land speed record attempt at Ostende, Belgium. Duray managed a one-way speed of 132.27 mph (213 km/h), but was unable to complete a return run within the hour allotted. The Blitzen Benz had been faster in 1911 at Daytona Beach, hence the Beast of Turin was granted an unofficial title of fastest car in Europe, but it was not an official record. Following the First World War, the first S76 built was dismantled by Fiat at the end of 1919. Soukhanov's S76, missing its engine, ended up in Australia, where it was rebuilt and re-powered with a Stutz engine. The S76's career ended when it was crashed at Armadale in the early 1920s while practicing for a race to the coast, although this is the subject of some debate. After the two car engines built from 1910 and 1911, FIAT built similar engines for airships, changing to 3 valves (two exhaust and one intake) and 3 spark plugs (the car engine had 2 spark plugs) That engine type built from 1912 and 1913 was mounted on Forlanini airships. The last one to survive from the six built is in the Capetti collection of Politecnico di Torino. Restoration. Duncan Pittaway obtained an Edwardian Fiat chassis and had it shipped to the UK. After g
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Fiat S76 Record
- Manufacturer
- Fiat
- Production
- 1910, 2 built (1 dismantled by Fiat)
- Class
- Land speed record vehicle
- Length
- 3750 mm
- Width
- 1300 mm
- Height
- 1750 mm
- Kerb weight
- 1650 kg
- Engine
- 28353 cc Fiat Type S.76 Inline 4 engine
- Wheelbase
- 3700 mm
- Predecessor
- Fiat S74
- Successor
- Fiat S57A/14B Corsa
- sp
- uk
- Top speed
- 213 km/h
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16555930CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_S76_RecordCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1351048747 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fiat_S76_Record.jpgPublic domain · Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.