FIAT in Motorsport Since 1899

by Bagnall, Tony

• ISBN13: 9781787111851
• ISBN10: 1787111857
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2022-04-26
• Publisher: Veloce Publishing

Summary

FIAT in Motorsport is an in-depth look at Fiat’s historical and prestigious involvement in all forms of motorsport. The achievements of the cars and drivers are described in detail, along with many original photographs, sourced from the official Fiat archives.

In the early days, before the First World War, Fiat was a major contender in Grand Prix racing, and employed many of the leading drivers of the era. Although it withdrew from Grand Prix racing in 1927, Fiat cars were still to be seen participating in high-profile races, such as the Mille Miglia. In these events most Fiat models were sports editions of the highly successful ’Balilla’ range. In 1952 the introduction of the sensational 8V coupé resulted in many racing successes in private owners’ hands, while the late 1950s saw the introduction of ‘Formula Junior’ class of racing and Fiat-engined cars were very successful in the early years.

In the 1970s, Abarth, then owned by Fiat, successfully ran the rally team, which resulted in three World Championships. Speed record attempts over the years are also detailed in this fascinating history of Fiat’s sporting achievements

Author Biography

Tony Bagnall qualified as an accountant and spent the early years of his career in local government and then many years in the NHS, where he held several Director of Finance positions. In addition to his love of cars, especially Alfa Romeo, Tony has always been an avid book reader, and in 2004 wrote the only book recording the history of motor racing at Aintree. He is currently a member of The Society of Automotive Historians.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1 – Pre- World War 1 (“The Heroic Age”) 1900 to 1905
Chapter 2 – The Heroic Age continued 1906 to 1914
Chapter 3 – The Glorious 1920s
Chapter 4 – 1930s/1940s a quieter period
Chapter 5 – a new venture
Chapter 6 – Fiat based specials
Chapter 7 – Formula Junior
Chapter 8 – Rallying – Fiat returns
Chapter 9 – The Abarth connection
Appendix 1 – Technical specifications
Appendix 2 – Major race results
Appendix 3 – Rallying record