It was a while back that the world freaked out over the preview footage for an upcoming documentary called, “The Beast Of Turin” which followed the restoration/recreation of the Fiat S76, a 28.4 Liter, four cylinder, chain driven, hellacious beast of a car that owned the world speed record before World War One. The culmination of the teaser we saw all those months ago was the firing of the engine, well this video kicks the story into high gear by showing the massive car blasting around the roads of the Goodwood Estate where it will be a star attraction of the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed this coming June.
It is one thing to see the car sitting there but it is wholly another to see it actually running and driving. The engine sounds like a combo of a tractor and a blast furnace and it looks like one as well with fire pouring out of the sewer sized exhaust ports and right out the side of the car. When there is no fire there are copious amounts of smoke rolling out of the engine because after all, this was a monster power plant built when everything had smoke pouring out of it. Trains, factories, and ships were all holy smokers so why not the big racer as well. Obviously because this was a faithful effort to the original, the engine was built to the same specs and standards, oil burning and all.
Perhaps the most impressive thing we noticed in this video is how smoothly the car accelerates from s standing start. Maybe that sounds dumb but not having a ton of experience with chain driven cars, we figured it would be all herky jerky when starting off but it lumbers right away. The other thing we love is the fact that the engine sounds as though it is turning about 500 rpm and the car is really hauling down the road. The monster engine has to be severely RPM limited but the disparity between engine sound and speed is awesome.
The roar of the thing is unlike anything we have ever heard and that’s because we have not had the chance to be around too many 28.4L four cylinder engines. As we said above, there is an element of tractor to this thing crossed with the very sounds emanating from hell itself. Incredible.
Did you see how loose the drive chain was!
Did Lord March have a yearning for decapitation or what….
That looks as if somebody had cut down an antique truck to make a race car out of it, between the size and the solid front axle. The scale of that thing is absolutely bonkers. Maybe an inspiration for the Blastolene Special?
Blastolene – it sounds like a powerful laxative – but boy! do they build great cars!
I think they definitely are inspired by the great aero-engined monsters of the past – especially the ones you need clean underwear after driving!
Just an FYI: 28.4L = 1733 cu in!!! :).
What a beast!
Lord March seems like a pretty cool guy. That car must have some huge pistons.
If you guys need to hire someone to go to Goodwood and document it i’m applying.
Have a look at this forum thread.
http://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum/bangshift/general-discussion/1020274-the-beast-of-turin-returns-to-goodwood
There is a link to pictures of this “beast”, pistons the size of your head…!!
Seems I´ve posted the same info twice.
I´ve revisited this post twice and my first reply had “disappeared”…wonders.