Summary

No automotive concern so epitomized unbridled size and luxury as the Milanese manufacturer Isotta Fraschini. Considered one of the greatest cars of the world, the Isotta was built for royalty, stars and international luminaries.

Details

Like competitors such as Mercedes-Benz and FIAT, Isotta Fraschini derived significant development know-how from its early racing endeavors. Isotta became the first automaker to fit four-wheel brakes to its production cars as standard equipment, and at the Paris Salon of 1919 introduced the world's first production inline 8 cylinder engine. The appearance of Isotta's Tipo 8 is noteworthy in that the motor debuted a year before Duesenberg's straight-eight, and two years prior to Bugatti's 8 cylinder line. Chassis number 1363 was originally delivered to a New York-based owned named Piperno. Given that it is clothed in bodywork by American coachbuilder LeBaron, one can safely assume the car was purchased and shipped as a rolling chassis and completed at LeBaron's facility in the United States before undergoing customer delivery. LeBaron's elegant phaeton coachwork presages some of the company's other notable dual cowl treatments, similar to designs seen on Duesenberg's Model J. A thorough cosmetic restoration by Isotta's current owner has resulted in concours-level quality. Supplementing a freshly reupholstered interior, this exterior work has endowed the beautiful Isotta with renewed character and elegance, truly evoking the stately grandeur for which the marque is known. As a statement in the interwar elegance, this opulent 8A SS rivals the finest offerings from marques like Hispano-Suiza, Rolls-Royce, or Duesenberg.