The Fiat S76 Record, nicknamed "La Belva di Torino" (the Beast of Turin), is an automobile created by the Italian manufacturer FIAT in 1911 with the aim of breaking the world land speed record then held by Blitzen-Benz. It is based on a massive 28,353 cc four-cylinder engine developing 290 hp and only two were built, one of which was fully restored in 2014.
"La Belva di Torino" (literally, "the Beast of Turin") may sound like the title of a gory novel or horror film, but it is actually the nickname given to the legendary Fiat S76, two of which were produced by the Turin-based manufacturer in 1911. Also known as the Fiat 300 HP Record, it was built to break all speed records.
Only a handful of brave drivers had the opportunity—and the honor—to drive this thundering steel monster, equipped with a 4-cylinder engine with a displacement of 28,353 cubic centimeters, ready to roar through every street in Europe.
Only expert drivers could command the S76's 290 hp. In 1991, Felice Nazzaro reached 185 km/h on a road outside the Piedmontese capital. And that was just the beginning: a few months later, Pietro Bordino reached 200 km/h in the UK; later, French driver Arthur Duray set a new record of 225 km/h in Ostend, Belgium. The beast continued to push faster and faster, until it reached 290 km/h in April 1912 on Long Island.
Its loudest roar was also its swan song: one of the two existing Fiat S76s was dismantled to prevent any rivals from pursuing its secret. Once an Australian collector bought the last remaining one, everyone forgot about this exceptional record.
But recently, the Beast returned to the track, and the whole world heard its thunderous roar once again.
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