1953 Fiat 8V Spider (Vignale)

Right from its foundation in 1899 Fiat served the high volume automotive market with reliable, low cost products. The high performance market, low volume and high cost, was left to others. This policy left tuning firms like Siata, Abarth and Nardi to serve the demand of higher performance Fiats.

In 1950 Fiat's policy changed abruptly with the development of the Fiat 8V. Rudolf Hruska, at the time working at Siata, was given the task to design the a car around the V8 2-litre engine offering 105 hp. Development took place in absolute secrecy. As not to stress the experimental department of Fiat, production was taken up by Siata. Presented at the Autosalon de Geneve in 1952 the Fiat 8V was a sensation. It was made available in different body styles offered by the factory and by various coach builders, both as Fiat 8V and as the slightly modified Siata 208S. After 114 Fiats and 96 Siatas production ceased in 1954.

Vignale offered various bodies for the Fiat 8V. In 1953, five coupes, one spider and one coupe Corsa were built. As one of the last models, the aggressive looking 8V 'Demon Rouge' was presented in 1954.