Makes › Isotta Fraschini › Tipo › Tipo 8A SS (Super Spinto) · Rare specification
Isotta Fraschini
Tipo 8A SS (Super Spinto)
High-compression sports variant of the Tipo 8A chassis
Photo: Craig Howell from San Carlos, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- Not yet verified
- Engine
- Inline eight, L-head · 7,370 cc / 7.4 LFactory: 7,370 cc
- Power
- 89.5 kW / 122 PSFactory: 120 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 161 km/hFactory: 100 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 2 (independently researched)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The 8A SS was the sportiest factory specification of Isotta Fraschini's Tipo 8A, the car that carried the most powerful series-production straight-eight engine of the mid-1920s. The 8A line sold to wealthy buyers, especially in the United States, and was priced above a Duesenberg. Examples with the SS specification and open coachwork are among the rarest of the family.
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.
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS (Super Spinto) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Craig Howell from San Carlos, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS (Super Spinto) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Craig Howell from San Carlos, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS (Super Spinto) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Craig Howell from San Carlos, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model production8ASS roadster bodies, per the auction lot description | 21 | Surviving examples | 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
The Tipo 8 of 1919 was the first series-production straight-eight in Italy. The Tipo 8A replaced it in 1924 and stayed in production until 1931 with a 7.3-litre straight-eight. The S (Sprinto) version offered a tuned engine, often on a short-wheelbase chassis, and the SS (Super Sprint) added twin carburettors, higher compression and rear axles tuned for higher speeds.
Isotta Fraschini built about 950 Tipo 8A and 8A S cars in total, and the figure for the SS alone is not given in the cached sources. A new Tipo 8B with a four-speed gearbox followed in 1931 as sales collapsed in the Depression.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Tipo 8A SS (Super Spinto).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Inline eight, L-head2 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 82 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 7,370 cc / 7.4 LFactory: 7,370 cc2 Independently researchedTipo 8A figure; SS uses the same engine in tuned form. Other pages say 7.3 litres. |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Twin carburettors3 Independently researchedThe cached pages call this model the 'Super Sprint'. The target name 'Super Spinto' does not appear in them. |
| Power | 89.5 kW / 122 PSFactory: 120 hp · converted2 Independently researchedTipo 8A as stated (bhp); conceptcarz gives 115 to 160 metric horsepower for the 8A family; a Pebble Beach lot of an 8AS quotes 120 hp. |
| Power at | 2,500 rpm2 Independently researched |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Three-speed manual4 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | 34 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Separate chassis, supplied as rolling chassis for coachbuilders5 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Drums, front and rear2 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 3,400 mmFactory: 134 in · converted4 Independently researchedShort-wheelbase S/SS chassis; the standard car is 145 in. |
| 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 | 161 km/hFactory: 100 mph · converted1 Independently researchedAuction lot claim of 'well over 100 mph'. It is a minimum, not a measured speed. |
|---|---|
| 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.
Being verified against factory or registry sources before it is published. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1929 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS Castagna Roadster (Lot #5007) Level C Barrett-Jackson via Salon Collection
- This is one of only two 8ASS Roadsters.
- capable of well over 100mph
-
2
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Level C supercars.net
- Inline-8 w/L-Head
- Inline-8
- 7370 cc / 449.7 in³
- 89.5 kw / 120 bhp @ 2500 rpm
- 120 bhp @ 2500 rpm
- front brakes Drums, rear brakes Drums
- 3
-
4
Isotta Fraschini 8A Castagna Torpedo Level C Ultimatecarpage.com
- three speed gearbox
- short wheelbase at 134 inch
-
5
1928 Isotta Fraschini 8A SS Level C conceptcarz.com · 2024-06
- Built solely as a rolling chassis
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