Whether Fiat or F.I.A.T.*, it's definitely a supercar!

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Wealth has its prerogatives. In 1904, when Kaiser Wilhelm II suggested that his friend August Anheuser Busch Sr. should order a Fiat 60 HP, the $13,500 price for the chassis alone was unlikely to be an issue—nor was the $4,000 cost of the patented, state-of-the-art, aluminum-skinned Quinby & Co. custom body. Busch agreed, and his 1905 Fiat 60 HP, serial no. 3003—the third produced of just twenty—arrived with a new steel chassis (wooden in 1904), a torquey and reliable 10.6-liter T-head four-cylinder engine, 100 HP sprockets for its chain drive, and quickly detachable wings.

It also appears to have been equipped with a unique, possibly experimental—yet certainly troublesome—clutch, which contributed to the car being laid up not long after delivery. In 1905, the land speed record stood at just under 110 mph, and Busch’s Fiat 60 HP touring car could exceed 80! Retained by Busch until his death in 1934, the Fiat later passed through the hands of several noted collectors (including James Melton) over the next few decades, remaining in wonderfully original condition.

It has recently undergone a patina-retaining mechanical restoration and is now being offered at RM Auctions’ Villa Erba sale in Como, Italy, on May 25. While the term “supercar” might not have been coined until the days of the 959, Enzo, and Veyron, deep pockets could indeed buy a “supercar” for themselves 108 years ago. Here’s the running, driving proof. (Photos courtesy of RM Auctions.)

*From Wikipedia: “Giovanni Agnelli, with several investors, founded the Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (F.I.A.T.) società per azioni (S.p.a.), Italian Automobile Factory of Turin, in 1899. Its acronym was changed to the upper- and lower-case ‘Fiat’ in 1906.”

RM, in their auction description, correctly uses FIAT (see chassis plate), as most historians do for pre-1906 cars. But look at the hubcap!

Update by editor: Further information: the 1904 F.I.A.T. tipo 24-32 40 HP formerly owned by Jan Bruijn in Holland has an F.I.A.T. chassis plate, a radiator logo reading Fabrica Italiano Automobile Torino, and hubcaps with ‘Fiat’ in script—just like the car pictured above.

This article was originally published on May 13, 2013

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