Makes › Isotta Fraschini › Tipo › Tipo 8A (Sunset Boulevard 1950 film car) · Royal, state & papal · Film & TV · 1929
Isotta Fraschini
Tipo 8A (Sunset Boulevard 1950 film car)
1929 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A used as Norma Desmond's car in Sunset Boulevard (1950).
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 1929
- Engine
- 7,370 cc / 7.4 LFactory: 7,370 cc
- Power
- 80.9 kW / 110 PSFactory: 110 PS
- Top speed
- 140 km/hFactory: 140 km/h
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Castagna (coachwork, Milan)
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 1 (independently researched)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
A Tipo 8A was used in the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, with a chauffeur driving the lead actress in an Isotta. The film appearance is the best-documented fact about this car.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionthe museum's car, which the museum says was used in the film | 11 | 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 car is a 1929 Tipo 8A with a Castagna body. The Turin museum says its car was used in the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard.
Coachbuild.com describes a Castagna transformable, chassis 1587, that was used in the film and later offered for sale privately.
The cached sources describe the film car's body in different ways: a coupe de ville in the museum account, a transformable on coachbuild.com, and a town car landaulet in Forbes. The museum car and chassis 1587 may not be the same car.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Tipo 8A (Sunset Boulevard 1950 film car).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Not yet verified |
| Cylinders | 81 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 7,370 cc / 7.4 LFactory: 7,370 cc1 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 80.9 kW / 110 PSFactory: 110 PS1 Independently researchedUnit kept as written by the museum (CV). |
| Power at | 2,400 rpm1 Independently researched |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| 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 | 140 km/hFactory: 140 km/h1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| 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
ISOTTA FRASCHINI mod. 8 A Level C Museo dell'Automobile di Torino
- The car on display
- 8 cilindri
- 7370 cc
- 110 CV a 2400 giri/min
- 140 km/h
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