To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Villa Erba event, 25 May
2019.
Estimate:
€1.600.000 - €1.800.000
- One of 26 coup�s built
- Recent full restoration, including refinished in its original
colours
- Retains its original Tipo 104.000 engine
- Eligible for numerous events, including the Mille Miglia and
Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
- A true Zagato and Fiat masterwork, one of the most celebrated
Italian cars of its decade
Of the many beautiful designs that emerged from Carrozzeria Zagato
during the 1950s, few were as timelessly elegant as the berlinetta
coachwork built for the Fiat 8V. Celebrated for engineer Dante
Giacosa's two-litre V-8 engine and Fabio Luigi Rapi's voluptuous
factory coachwork, the Otto Vu was publicly introduced at the
Geneva Salon in March 1952. Zagato initially had no plans to work
on the model until the company received a commission to clothe a
private car for Milanese Fiat dealer Ovidio Capelli.
With Zagato's lightweight aerodynamic coachwork mounted on the Otto
Vu's high-performance engine and advanced chassis, the 8V Zagato
prototype showed great success at racing events over the next two
years, prompting the company to consider a production run. At the
Turin Salon in April 1954, the coachbuilder introduced a modified
version of the prototype and just 26 coup�s were built with Zagato
coachwork in total.
Though the Zagato-built 8V berlinettas were ostensibly produced in
series, the cars were hand built to individual customer order with
a host of available features and a palette of different colours,
essentially making each car a unique example. The class winner of
five Italian Sports Car Championships during the 1950s, the Fiat 8V
Zagato has since evolved into one of today's most desirable
coachbuilt berlinettas, offering rarity, racing pedigree, and
breath-taking aesthetics.
This mid-production iteration of Fiat's most celebrated post-war
sportscar boasts an early life of gentle use, free of period
competition, and a recent sympathetic restoration, resulting in a
splendid example. Dispatched by Fiat to Zagato in early May 1954,
chassis no. 000076 was painted emerald green and is authentically
finished in that colour today. As demonstrated by a file of period
registrations with the Automobile Club d'Italia, the 8V received a
certificate of origin in early August 1955 and was licensed five
days later to an address in Turin in the name of the Societa
Nazionale Olii Minerali, a national energy company based in Turin.
The car has remained in Italy ever since, passing through a modest
chain of documented owners residing in cities from Rome to
Padova.
Although there is no evidence that the 8V Zagato was raced in
period, by the 1970s the car was enjoying use in vintage
competition events, including the 1976 Bressanone Sant' Andrea; the
1977 Coppa Citt� di Varano Trofeo Caschi; and the 1978 Coppa
Velocita at Monza. The Fiat passed to Gianfranco Pittarel by the
mid-1980s, and he retained possession for approximately 30 years,
running the Mille Miglia Storico no less than eight times, and
presenting the car at the 2013 Zagato celebration sponsored by
Chopard.
Recently acquired by the consignor, the Fiat has since been
reunited with its original engine and has been treated to a full
restoration, including a new two-tone interior and a refinish in
the original factory colour of emerald green. This sensational
coachbuilt Fiat has accrued less than 500 km since restoration, and
it continues to be eligible for the world's finest touring and
exhibitive events, including the Mille Miglia Storica and the Villa
d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza. Chassis no. 000076 is an exquisite
example of one of Zagato's most brilliant creations, offering a
crowning complement to any collection.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/ve19.
