The Beast of Turin trailer

December 6, 2014 12 CommentsRacing, Really Old Stuff, Videos

Frankly it looks scary. With no exhaust as such we’re treated to the sight of the aftermath of internal combustion shooting straight out of the exhaust ports while the whole car shakes violently. Bear in mind that in its day the S76 was reputed to be putting out around 300bhp and that all that power was transmitted to the axle by way of chains.

Quick compilation of clips showing some of the build and first firing of the FIAT S76 land speed record car in 100 years. At over 28 litres this was the biggest of the pre WWI monsters (and the biggest car engine ever built)—engine design changed a lot thereafter. The proper film will cover the history of this exciting period and tell the amazing story of its rebirth after 100 years.

The Beast of Turin trailer from stefan marjoram on Vimeo.

Thanks to Mel Francis.

New Video:

Wonderful artwork and photos by Stefan Marjoram, plus a few other images found online.

12 Comments

December 6, 2014 at 12:49 pm

Andrew Minney

Ah Meph!
Earnest Eldridge’s creation but not as good as his earlier one the Isotta-Maybach driven most successfully by LCGM Le Champion.
Meph has been reborn so many times the Avanti pales into insignificance!!

Andrew in England
December 6, 2014 at 2:02 pm

Mel Francis

Well, your research went a little deeper than mine, Gary. Thanks for all the additional sketches and photos by Stefan. His Flickr site is full of his accomplishments: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stefanmarjoram/
December 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm

Mel Francis

Andrew, your comment led me to do some research and it appears that: In 1911, Fiat built this monstrous 300 HP Record specifically to break the world speed record. Its 28.353 litre engine developed 290 horsepower. Fiat driver Pietro Bordino, then 24, showed no fear and drove it to 200 km/h at Brooklands and Saltburn and in April 1912, travelled the mile at 290 km/h on Long Island.

Eldridge, on the other hand was born in 1896 and made his first record runs in 1923 in ‘Mefistofele’, a 1908 Fiat SB racer, lengthened to fit a 21.706 litre six-cylinder A-12 Bis Fiat airship engine.
http://www.bigscalemodels.com/cars/fiat_mefistofele/mephistopheles.html
December 6, 2014 at 4:59 pm

Phil Payne

Gary, you continue to amaze me! Bravo on the “Beast of Turin”, it was great coverage right down to the sketches. Turned the volume way up & almost drove my wife out of the house!
December 6, 2014 at 5:10 pm

Richard Ingham

cool video !!! The full video should be great !!
I’ve been following Stefan’s photography on flickr for quite awhile now.
A very talented man
Did you notice the Bug under the tarp about 58 seconds into the video ?
December 8, 2014 at 5:49 am

Stan Mott

Yo! Magnificent! Sparks, explosions, NOISE! Everything an engine should do to let us know it’s on our side! Very close to the WWII fighter aircraft exhausts with just a bit of pipe to prevent setting the fuselage on fire.

Ohh, blessed beautiful technology of the most righteous kind!
December 8, 2014 at 10:35 am

Mel Francis

Yes Stan, the proportions and stance of Stefan’s lead illustration reminded me instantly of one of your own sketches! The Chinese may have discovered how to create the man-made explosion, but it was Western man who turned it into forward motion…
December 8, 2014 at 9:37 pm

Bradford

Looking into those exhaust ports is like looking into the blast furnace of hell. Now THAT is a Man’s car.

Thanks as always,

Bradford T.
December 15, 2014 at 10:07 am

john

That is definitely cool, but… is that a real team Starfish Barracuda back there?!? 🙂
great shop dog too!
January 6, 2015 at 5:44 pm

Sheldon Payne

Fire and brimstone in the video…astounding! So too the sketches by Stefan. I’d love to pin them on my Pinterest pages, but that sort of art is worth much. Great posting Gary.
I recall Larry Brinker made a full size clay for the fabricators of a boat tail body Fiat for a guy named Evans in San Diego some years back. Equally impressive, but without the noise.
January 6, 2015 at 5:46 pm

Sheldon Payne

Evans owned a couple of resort hotels on Mission Bay and was quite the collector. Not sure of the fate of his antique Fiat.
May 31, 2015 at 10:05 am

DICK RUZZIN

Gary,
Thanks for putting this together. The video has shot throughout the car community like wildfire, everyone I know has seen and enjoys talking about the engine with a car attached. It will put a smile on your face.

I love this video because it speaks to everything wonderful about cars, the hobby and the people. It brings you back to the basics, two seats, open car, big motor, lots of noise, sensation of speed, everything that is at the root of the fun. What a thrill it must be to drive that thing. The part where it starts and almost tips over by the explosion is crazy. I guess the exhaust manifold was not ready or were chosen to be left off when the film was made. What are those sparks that are coming out?

Imagine going over 180mph on those tires! Tire technology was not very well advanced, it must have been like flying in an airplane on the ground at the time.

The beauty of the video is that it will remind you of some memory in your own life that is relative, maybe the part that made you want to be involved with cars.
There must be something Italian in there too.

Thanks again Gary.
Dick Ruzzin

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Book is excellent reading. I like all the practical jokes that you played on each other. Haven’t put it down yet.

Paul Alflen
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It brought back so many memories. The book captures some of the antics that took place. I recommend Gary’s book for anyone that has an interest to get a glimpse of an era long gone.

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Great book! It will provide many hours of interesting reading. Thank you for writing and publishing it!

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All the wonderful anecdotes and photos bring laughter and smiles of recollection of the years at GM Design. The other content is equally entertaining, too! One can keep returning to its pages, finding a new topic of interest each time.

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Peter Brock
The book is providing lots of interesting reading along with so many great photos, illustrations and renderings.

Sheldon Payne
It’s like going to a family reunion and meeting all your old friends, the studios and the models all over again. I can almost smell the fresh clay reading your book.

Ron Will
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Steve Sicklick
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