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[David Graves]

pulled this from a news clip I saw .. pretty amazing ..



From now on, if ever anyone describes their car to me as a beast I'll answer with utter certainty: "No it isn't."

This is the "Beast of Turin," or what's officially known as the Fiat S76. Two examples were built from 1910 to 1911, with horsepower reaching a staggering 300. It was designed to claim the title as "world's fastest car" from the Blitzen-Benz, and it did so by completing a certified out-and-back run of 116 mph.

What's more beastly, however, is that it boasted a highly-advanced 28.5-liter engine — and now, for the first time in roughly 100 years, it's been massaged back to life.

Duncan Pittway of England bought what was remaining of the two S76s and combined them to make one; the first had been bought by Russian Prince Boris Soukhanov in 1911and later sold to a man in Australia. There is was tragically fitted with a Stutz motor and then promptly crashed. The second car was owned by Fiat itself, but even more tragically, it was scrapped in 1920 with the only remaining component being the monster engine.

Pittway placed that motor into a rebuilt version of the first S76, and voila, he had himself a proper land speed record car from 1911. You'll be able to watch the whole video of the restoration come February of next year, but as this teaser shows, the most impressive aspect of it all may simply be the sound emitted when the fire-breathing 28.5-liter engine fires up for the first time.

Yes Ladies and Gentleman, this is what a true beast sounds like. Just imagine cresting 116 mph aboard it back in 1911. Or even 137 mph, which it did but failed to manage a run in the opposite direction to have the speed verified.

The car had planned to make a run at the Goodwood Hillclimb this year, but Pittway didn't have it ready in time. With a bit of luck, we'll get to witness the "Beast of Turin" tackle Lord March's driveway for real next year.

see the video clip
http://vimeo.com/113158655


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In My Garage -
'55 Bel Air Hardtop
'55 Bel Air 2dr Sedan
'56 Corvette
'67 Camaro RS
'69 Blown 427 nostalgia front engine dragster
'17 Indian Chief Vintage

[wheezer]

Looking at the video clip stirred my interest.

It turns out this 28.5 liter 4 cylinder engine equates to 435 cubic inches per cylinder!

The bore is 7.5 inches and the stroke is 9.8 inches.

The 300 horsepower was determined at 1900 RPM. This equates to a whooping 800 FtLb of torque
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"A Classic Car is Not Aerodynamic"

[Marv Cowden]

Looking at the crankshaft, it's easy to see why the motor shakes the car so much while running.
Even as crude as it is, the sounds are music to any true gear head.

How far we've come in a hundred years of motoring.
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I'm addicted to brake fluid but I can stop anytime I want.