It doesn’t look so much like an engine as an industrial plant. The huge 28.5-litre four-cylinder engine in this remarkable Fiat S76 is enough to propel it to 135mph, which was very fast indeed in 1911. In fact, it would have been enough to make it the fastest car in the world – that speed having been achieved during a record attempt. Alas, the car was unable to run in the opposite direction in order to make the record stand.
The Edwardian leviathan hasn’t run for 100 years, but a 10-year restoration by owner Duncan Pittaway has recently been completed, meaning it is now ready for its first drive in a century… here at the Festival of Speed. Whether Duncan achieves that 135mph top speed on its run up the hill at Goodwood on Sunday matters not – it will make an incredible sight nonetheless. It’s not a car, it’s mobile heavy industry…
