The Fiat 130 HP was guest of honour at the 21st edition of the prestigious Concours d'Elegance Trofeo Salvarola Terme, held on 3 and 4 July in Emilia-Romagna. The vehicle, which triumphed at the Grand Prix of the French Automobile Club in 1907 was recently the subject of a functional engine restoration, coordinated by the Restoration Centre of the museum and with the economic support of the Heritage department.
The history of the collaboration between the Heritage department and the MAUTO - the National Car Museum of Turin - was enhanced with a new chapter: the Fiat 130 HP was restored to its former glory and starred as guest of honour at the 21st edition of the prestigious Concours d'Elegance Trofeo Salvarola Terme, held on 3 and 4 July in Emilia-Romagna.
In 1907 the vehicle, known as "F2", won the Grand Prix of the French Automobile Club, driven by Turin-born Felice Nazzaro, on the Dieppe track: during the race it racked up the exceptional average speed of 113.612 km/h, thanks to a powerful engine of over 16-litres, which stood out for its overhead valves distributed at a 90-degree V-shaped angle. The Fiat 130 HP was recently the subject of a functional engine restoration, with the coordination of the Restoration Centre of the National Car Museum, supported by research performed on the historical documents conserved at its Documentation Centre, and by the Centro Storico Fiat. The intervention, achieved with the economic support of the Heritage department, got this extraordinary historical heirloom up and running again. Part of the MAUTO collection since 1957, it had been donated to the museum by none other than Fiat s.p.a.
At the Concours d'Elegance Trofeo Salvarola Terme, the Fiat 130 HP took home the mention of honour for the “Restoration with the highest symbolic value”.
In the photo gallery:
1) Detail of the exhausts during dynamic tests of the engine on the test bench
2) Distribution gears
3) Mechanical engine oil pump
4) View of the exhaust valves, rocker arms and intake valves
5) Engine ready to be placed on the chassis
6) Side view of the impressive radiator with a radiant mass with more than 8000 extruded brass tubes
7) View of the wooden bulkhead during assembly.