Isotta Fraschini

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Italian tenor, see Gaetano Fraschini.

Isotta Fraschini
OwnerFincantieri
Websitewww.isottafraschini.it
Footnotes / references
Original firm ceased automobile production 1949

Isotta Fraschini (Italian pronunciation: [iˈzɔtta fraˈskiːni]) is an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 1955 it was merged with engine manufacturer Breda Motori and renamed F.A. Isotta Fraschini e Motori Breda.

History

The firm was named for its founders, Cesare Isotta and Vincenzo Fraschini, who had been importing Mors and Renault automobiles as well as Aster proprietary engines since 1899.[1] The company they founded as Società Milanese Automobili Isotta, Fraschini & C. on 27 January 1900 had the stated purpose to "Import, sell, repair cars". Prior to establishing their own products in 1904, Isotta and Fraschini assembled cars very similar to Renaults, with Aster engines. They differed from the real Renaults in having a neater underslung front radiator arrangement.[2]

The first automobile bearing this marque featured a four-cylinder engine with an output of 24 horsepower (18 kW). The car, driven by Vincenzo Fraschini, appeared in several races. In 1905, Isotta Fraschini gained notoriety in the

overhead cam (OHC), with an engine designed by Giustino Cattaneo.[4] Isotta Fraschini introduced their Tipo 8, the first production automobile to be powered by a straight-eight engine, at the Paris Salon in 1919[5] and began delivering them to customers in 1920.[6]

With the growth of the wealthy middle class in North America in the 1920s, Isotta Fraschini marketed deluxe limousines to the new American aristocracy. Early film stars

Tender is the Night
.

Seriously affected by the economic crisis of the 1930s and by the disruptions of World War II, Isotta Fraschini stopped making cars after the war (1949). Only five of the last model, the Monterosa, were produced. The plants were converted to produce marine engines.

The company was left on the company register and in 1955 it was merged with engine manufacturer Breda Motori and named F.A. Isotta Fraschini e Motori Breda. The company started to produce trolley buses again and in the 1960s built a new diesel engine factory in Bari. In the 1980s, the company was renamed Isotta Fraschini Motori SpA and it became part of the Fincantieri group, with administrative headquarters in the old factory in Bari.

In the 1990s, attempts to revive the automotive industry of Isotta Fraschini were made. Concept-car coupe and roadster Isotta Fraschini T8 were built in 1996, and concept-car roadster Isotta Fraschini T12 was built in 1998. The company never went into production and closed for bankruptcy in 1999.

The marque was revived in 2022, with the announcement of a new motorsport chassis designed from scratch to compete in sports car racing, like the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, under Automobile Club de l'Ouest Le Mans Hypercar rules.

  • Vincenzo Trucco won the 1908 Targa Florio with Isotta Fraschini type I.
    Vincenzo Trucco won the 1908 Targa Florio with Isotta Fraschini type I.
  • AN 20/30 (1909)
    AN 20/30 (1909)
  • KM4 Tourer (1913)
    KM4 Tourer (1913)
  • D80 (left) and D65 (right)
    D80 (left) and D65 (right)
  • Tipo 8 Sala Phaeton
    Tipo 8 Sala Phaeton
  • Tipo 8A S LeBaron Boattail Roadster (1928)
    Tipo 8A S LeBaron Boattail Roadster (1928)
  • Tipo 8A Castagna Imperial Landaulet (1928)
    Tipo 8A Castagna Imperial Landaulet (1928)
  • Tipo 8C Monterosa Boneschi Cabriolet Prototype (1948)
    Tipo 8C Monterosa Boneschi Cabriolet Prototype (1948)

Aero-engines

Vehicles

Passenger cars

Racing cars

Trucks

  • D80 1934–1955
  • D65 1940–1955

Trolleybuses

Today

Active economic entities

  • Intrepida Fides, The Isotta Fraschini Foundation, acronym coined by Gabriele D'Annunzio, with registered office in Milan
  • Isotta Fraschini Milano s.r.l., with registered office in Milan, active in the field of vehicles, as well as production and marketing of luxury goods
  • Isotta Fraschini Motori S.p.A.: with registered office in Bari. An engineering firm specializing in diesel products, particularly marine engines, industrial engines, and rail traction engines, but also providing civil and military engineering products and services. The company is part of Fincantieri group. The company produces propulsion and generation systems, used in US Navy littoral fast attack surface ships and yachts. The L1306 T3, V 1312 T3, VL 1716 T2 T3 and GE COLZA V 1312 T3 generation systems produce between 200 kW and 3,000 kW. The largest of these generators are used in the
    Freedom class
    of Littoral Combat Ships.

World Endurance Championship

A new chassis is designed from scratch to compete in sports car racing including the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, under ACO Hypercar rules. The car would eventually be named the Tipo 6 LMH-C.

The car has been designed by

Williams Advanced Engineering.[11]

The LMH Hypercar rules allow for several configurations. Isotta have selected hybrid all-wheel drive with the hybrid energy delivered to the front axle. The internal combustion engine is a 3-litre V6.[11]

Isotta Fraschini is aiming for a 2023 debut of the Tipo 6 LMH-C in the FIA World Endurance Championship. To achieve this, they are partnering with the British team Vector Sport.[12] The car was initially supposed to make its racing debut in the 6 Hours of Spa, but its alleged first race has since been pushed back to the 8 Hours of Bahrain due the car's production running behind schedule, meaning they will miss the 24 Hours of Le Mans.[13] The Tipo 6 LMH Pista was presented at Paul Ricard, and completed laps with the GT1 Sports Club session as part of the 1000km of Paul Ricard weekend. [14] Both the Competizione and Pista variants took part in pre-race demos at the 2023 6 Hours of Monza weekend, wherein it was also announced that the car wouldn't be racing at the Bahrain weekend. Instead the aim is to complete the homologation process for the Tipo 6 LMH-C in late October. Vector Sport is prioritizing the test programme ahead of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season, in which it hopes to contest the full season.[15][16]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 0-345-02289-0
  2. ^ Nicholson, p. 19
  3. ^ Georgano, G. N. Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)
  4. ^ Georgano. They were joined by Austro-Daimler's Prinz Heinrich, designed by Ferdinand Porsche, W. O. Bentley (in 1919), and Sunbeam (between 1921 and 1923).
  5. ISBN 0-600-39155-8
    .
  6. ISBN 1-85960-877-9
    .
  7. ^ "ISOTTA FRASCHINI mod. 8 A". museoauto.it. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938. London: Sampson, Low & Martin company Limited. 1938.
  9. ^
    ISBN 1-85260-163-9
    .
  10. ^
    ISBN 07153-4647-4
    .
  11. ^ a b "Isotta Fraschini Aiming For Spa WEC Debut In 2023 | dailysportscar.com". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Vector Sport Partner With Isotta Fraschini For Factory Hypercar WEC Entry | dailysportscar.com". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  13. ^ Watkins, Gary (5 May 2023). "Planned debut for Isotta Hypercar postponed to Bahrain WEC round". motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  14. ^ "The Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH Pista at Paul Ricard this weekend". Endurance Info. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  15. ^ "WEC: Isotta Fraschini Hypercar unlikely to race in 2023". www.motorsport.com. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  16. ^ "6H Monza: Pre-Race Paddock Notes | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Further reading

  • Vicenzi, Ugo (October 2021). "Aces High: Isotta Franchini's "Asso" Powerplant Series". The Aviation Historian (37): 42–51.
    ISSN 2051-1930
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Isotta Fraschini.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isotta_Fraschini&oldid=1217195424"