Makes › Ghia › Fiat 8V Supersonic · Rare colour · 1953–1954
Ghia
Fiat 8V Supersonic
Origin was a one-off racing body for Conrero.
Still being researched: identification guide. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Prova MO · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 1953–1954
- Engine
- V8, 70-degree vee, alloy block · 1,996 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,996 cc
- Power
- 85.8 kW / 117 PSFactory: 115 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 190 km/hFactory: 190 km/h
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Giovanni Savonuzzi
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Fiat 8V was the only Fiat model with an eight-cylinder V engine, and it was a sports coupe from the early 1950s. Ghia's Supersonic body is the best-known coachbuilt variant and is described in the cached sources as a jet-age design. Its styling is the main reason it is recognised today.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Ghia Fiat 8V Supersonic (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Prova MO · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ghia Fiat 8V Supersonic (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Prova MO · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ghia Fiat 8V Supersonic (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC0 1.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour productionFiat 8V Supersonics bodied by Ghia (Gooding: "The First of 15 8V Supersonics") | 151 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Sports Car Market reports that Paul Farago placed the first order for a Ghia-bodied Fiat 8V Supersonic after a 1953 meeting with Chrysler executives. The car was bought by a later owner in 1955 and kept by him for decades.
RM Sotheby's states that Ghia built fifteen 8Vs with custom coachwork, fourteen of them Supersonics. The fifteenth had a body designed by Mario Boano and was not a Supersonic.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Fiat 8V Supersonic.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | V8, 70-degree vee, alloy block2 Independently researchedBase chassis figure: the engine is the Fiat 8V unit, not a Supersonic-specific value. |
| Cylinders | 83 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 1,996 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,996 cc4,3Base chassis figure for the 8V series. |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | two dual-barrel carburettors (first series)4Carburation changed in later series (the factory text mentions three carburettors on the second series). |
| Power | 85.8 kW / 117 PSFactory: 115 hp · converted4,2Base chassis figure. The factory page gives 105 hp for the first version, raised to 115 hp; a later series is listed at 127 hp. |
| Power at | 6,000 rpm4 |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | four-speed manual3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | 43 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | tubular chassis2 Independently researchedBase chassis figure. |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | four-wheel independent suspension with coil springs3 Independently researchedBase chassis figure. |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes3 Independently researchedBase chassis figure. |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 2,400 mmFactory: 94.5 in · converted3 Independently researchedBase chassis figure. |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 190 km/hFactory: 190 km/h4Second-series figure from the factory page. Conceptcarz gives a top speed of nearly 120 mph for the earliest engine version, so the two figures conflict. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic Level C
- 15 Fiat 8V Supersonics bodied by Ghia (Gooding: "The First of 15 8V Supersonics")
-
2
1954 Fiat 8V (vehicle profile) Level C conceptcarz.com
- The 70-degree V configuration, eight-cylinder alloy engine
- developed 115 horsepower
- The tubular chassis used an all-round independent suspension
-
3
1953 Fiat 8V Coupé by Ghia (Arizona 2014, lot 182201) Level C RM Sotheby's
- 1,996 cc overhead-valve V-8 engine
- four-speed manual gearbox
- four-wheel coil-spring independent suspension
- four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes
- Wheelbase: 94.5 in.
-
4
Fiat 8V (Heritage stories) Level C FCA Heritage (Stellantis)
- front longitudinal 1996 cm³
- two dual-barrel carburettors
- 105 HP @ 5200 rpm (115 HP @6000 rpm)
- 115 HP @6000 rpm
- which had a top speed of 190 km/h
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