1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic
Giovanni Savonuzzi’s design for Ghia transformed an already extraordinary machine into one of the most visually striking cars of the 1950s.
Upon its introduction in 1952, Road & Track magazine described the 8V as “the biggest surprise of the year.”
The Supersonic’s long front deck, steeply raked windshield, and straight-through beltline give way to small tailfins and jet-exhaust-style tail lights (a clear nod to the aviation aesthetics of the period).
Of all the coachwork applied to the 8V platform, the Supersonic is widely regarded as Ghia’s finest work.
Beneath that dramatic bodywork sat Fiat’s narrow-angle, all-aluminum 2.0-liter V8 (a layout no one expected from Italy’s largest automaker when the 8V debuted at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show). The engine pushed a sub-2,200-pound (under 1,000 kg) car to roughly 120 mph, delivering a power-to-weight ratio that left little competition in its class.
Privately entered 8Vs claimed the 2.0-liter category of the Italian GT Championship for six consecutive seasons (1954 through 1959), cementing the model’s credentials well beyond its looks.
Only 14 or 15 of the 114 8Vs built received the Supersonic coachwork.
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