I discussed this car as follows before it passed at Bonhams on January 18, 2016 from an unpublished estimate, lot 60 :
The restart of the European industry after the Second World War is not without mistakes in strategic appreciation. FIAT does not know what to do with its new Tipo 104 engine designed for the project of a sedan which was not realistic.
The Tipo 104 is however a fair technical achievement, developing 2 liters with 8 cylinders in a V opening at 70°. Bypassing the reluctance of its commercial directors, FIAT decides to offer under its brand name a coupe in GT class. The development is subcontracted to SIATA, an automaker of special models. Colloquially known with his Italian pronunciation Otto Vu, the FIAT 8V is released in 1952.
The observers are surprised by such a model so far away from the common use vehicles of the FIAT brand. They are right. The management decides in 1954 to stop the product line. 114 units of the FIAT 8V had been manufactured and the remaining Tipo 104 engines equipped SIATA cars including the 208S spider, for a global figure of 200 engines made by FIAT.
From 1955 or early 1956 Zagato rebuilt the coachwork of 5 units of the FIAT 8V to his 8V Elaborata desigh. The car for sale is a 8V Elaborata that had been originally assembled by Fiat in 1953.
The Carrozzeria Zagato is famous for its bodies altogether aerodynamic and light that are conducive to GT competition. The 8V Elaborata displays the doppia bolla, a twin hump stiffening the roof which is a feature of Zagato's innovations at that time. It has a good racing history and was driven to the second place in the Coppa Internazionale delle Dame by Anna Maria Peduzzi in 1956.
SOLD for $ 1.48M including premium
One of only five 8V Berlinetta Elaboratas built by Zagato, the 1953 #Fiat 8V Berlinetta Elaborata is in the spotlight now! #GoodingPebble pic.twitter.com/tSrUmWWHAJ
— Gooding & Company (@goodingandco) August 19, 2017