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Misc Forums => LSR General Chat => Topic started by: Robin UK on December 01, 2014, 09:01:20 AM

Title: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Robin UK on December 01, 2014, 09:01:20 AM
Another LSR pioneer back from the dead. That alongside the V8 Darracq and a Blitzen Benz would be rather good don't you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfYbH7926gk&feature=youtu.be

Robin
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Stainless1 on December 01, 2014, 09:53:43 AM
Looks like they need to add a little more advance after it starts...  :-o
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: octane on December 01, 2014, 09:58:59 AM
Link to video ( and a bit more ) of the Beast.
At the end of the video you can watch .. and HEAR .. that first start-up,
in much better picture/sound  quality :

http://theoldmotor.com/?p=133946

It's glorious.
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Dynoroom on December 01, 2014, 11:47:52 AM
Stunning...........

I'm always amazed at what man will do in the quest for speed.

This movie trailer stirred deep emotion, can't wait for it to be released...... Just as in the turn of the LAST century, although a different type of release.  8-)  Imagine this Beast at speed and it's driver fighting to control it. All in the quest of..... a piece of paper.
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: TrickyDicky on December 01, 2014, 05:41:19 PM
The Fiat S76 (aka "The Beast of Turin") is an amazing vehicle.

But we need to be careful not to get too carried away.

Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Richard 2 on December 01, 2014, 08:15:11 PM
NOW THAT'S A FOUR BANGER
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Jack Gifford on December 02, 2014, 01:22:34 AM
427 c.i. in each of its four cylinders... gets my attention!
It appears from the video that very little cranking speed was needed. It looked like the crank wasn't even moving when it first fired?
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Dynoroom on December 02, 2014, 01:48:42 AM
427 c.i. in each of its four cylinders... gets my attention!
It appears from the video that very little cranking speed was needed. It looked like the crank wasn't even moving when it first fired?

Correct Jack. There is a video of the Blitzen Benz being started at Pebble Beach a couple years ago. The process involved bringing the engine up to TDC, prime with fuel, then initiate a spark and the engine starts.   
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Robin UK on December 02, 2014, 04:01:31 AM
The Fiat S76 (aka "The Beast of Turin") is an amazing vehicle.

But we need to be careful not to get too carried away.

  • Duncan Pittaway's replica / re-creation / restoration is not the original car driven by Pietro Bordino and Arthur Duray (although it may contain some original parts :evil:).
  • The S76 never set a record :-(.


Duncan has his enthusiasm for people calling it a replica pretty much under control. Two S76s were built (the Beast of Turin sobriquet can be applied to either imo) and as far as I recall from what he said when I visited him he has the chassis from one and the engine from the other. The story of how they and other parts were tracked down and the things he had to do to acquire them is worthy of a book. Lets hope they get covered in Stefan Marjoram's film. The S76s may not have set a record but its an exciting part of the LSR story in the same way that other failures such as the Djelmo and Sunbeam Silver Bullet add to it. I wouldn't mind seeing either of those rise from the ashes using whatever remains could be found. Mercedes and others did exactly that with the Blitzen Benzs.

yours (trying not to get carried away)

Robin
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: fordboy628 on December 02, 2014, 05:23:28 AM
WOW!!

Truly a Beast . . . .

 :cheers:
Fordboy
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: TrickyDicky on December 02, 2014, 05:58:40 AM
The Fiat S76 (aka "The Beast of Turin") is an amazing vehicle.

But we need to be careful not to get too carried away.

  • Duncan Pittaway's replica / re-creation / restoration is not the original car driven by Pietro Bordino and Arthur Duray (although it may contain some original parts :evil:).
  • The S76 never set a record :-(.


Duncan has his enthusiasm for people calling it a replica pretty much under control. Two S76s were built (the Beast of Turin sobriquet can be applied to either imo) and as far as I recall from what he said when I visited him he has the chassis from one and the engine from the other. The story of how they and other parts were tracked down and the things he had to do to acquire them is worthy of a book. Lets hope they get covered in Stefan Marjoram's film. The S76s may not have set a record but its an exciting part of the LSR story in the same way that other failures such as the Djelmo and Sunbeam Silver Bullet add to it. I wouldn't mind seeing either of those rise from the ashes using whatever remains could be found. Mercedes and others did exactly that with the Blitzen Benzs.

yours (trying not to get carried away)

Robin

I met Duncan very briefly at Goodwood this year.  His enthusiasm cannot be faulted.

The history of the S76 is (apparently) very poorly documented.  That and the passage of time (including two World Wars) makes it difficult to verify any claims made today.  From memory (so apologies if any of this is totally off-track) some of the issues are:

A book by a respected motoring historian would be a wonderful medium in which to separate fact from fiction.
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Robin UK on December 02, 2014, 06:59:06 AM
Lets wait for the film and someday hopefully the book. Anything like this is bound to flush out self appointed experts (and no that's not a pop at you) questioning every element of the story. I've had people like that categorically telling me completely different versions of events that I was personally involved with and witnessed first hand. Sometimes things I've done myself. No amount of evidence will convince them otherwise so they just continue to churn out the scuttlebutt. At which point the only response is to disengage with them and get on with doing stuff that doesn't involve sitting in an armchair. I'm not making any claims for the vehicle one way or another but why don't we just enjoy the fact that an S76 is running again.

Robin
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: 55chevr on December 02, 2014, 07:56:55 AM
This sounds like the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides".  10% of the original ship structure remains or 90% of the ship structure has been replaced.  At what point does it become a replica?
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Seldom Seen Slim on December 02, 2014, 09:02:34 AM
"This is my absolute FAVORITE hammer.  I got it from my grandpa.  I like it so much that, to make it last, I've replaced the handle three times and the head at least twice!"
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Milwaukee Midget on December 02, 2014, 09:53:06 AM
Cool - That article in "The Old Motor" is Stefan Marjoram's work.  He's the photojournalist and artist for the Bloodhound SSC team, and he posts here from time to time.
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: PJQ on December 06, 2014, 03:45:26 AM
Here's a link to Artist Stefan Marjoram's page on Vimeo, well worth adding to your Favourites list. There's a fantastic six minute piece on Thrust2 with Richard Noble stirring emotions with in the drivers-seat stories of the project and record attempts.

http://vimeo.com/smarjoram (http://vimeo.com/smarjoram)

Think I've watched most of Stefan's vids two or three times, good to see his talent and passion dedicated to documenting the Bloodhound project.
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Robin UK on April 23, 2015, 04:37:20 AM
If anybody is heading over here for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, you'll get to see the S76 run. Lord March looks suitably impressed from the passenger seat as it runs up the drive from his house.

https://grrc.goodwood.com/festival-of-speed/video-legendary-28-litre-fiat-s76-driven-for-the-first-time-in-100-years#ZsZKR35bM9cTsTzt.97

Robin
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: kiwi belly tank on April 23, 2015, 09:32:02 AM
How phucking cool is that! Thank's Mate.
  Sid.
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Milwaukee Midget on April 23, 2015, 11:09:14 AM
If anybody is heading over here for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, you'll get to see the S76 run. Lord March looks suitably impressed from the passenger seat as it runs up the drive from his house.

https://grrc.goodwood.com/festival-of-speed/video-legendary-28-litre-fiat-s76-driven-for-the-first-time-in-100-years#ZsZKR35bM9cTsTzt.97

Robin

And as we pan away from the pastoral scene of the sequestered manor house, we note a Fiat with the hood up, expelling a trail of liquids on the paver bricks . . .

But yes, when it runs, it's ferocious!   
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: Robin UK on April 23, 2015, 12:30:41 PM
And if you are over here on July 21st then go to Pendine Sands where Don Wales will be running his grandfather's recently rebuilt Sunbeam 350hp Bluebird. Even better, it will be joined by John Cobb's Napier Railton that set all  those distance records at Bonneville. It did run at Pendine but only for the film Pandora and The Flying Dutchman. Check it out on YouTube, it's hilarious. Parry Thomas's Liberty engined Babs is at the museum there every summer so things could be really interesting. Now if we could just persuade them to invite Duncan with S76 and his friend Mark Walker with the Darracq V8 that would be quite an LSR line up.

http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/english/education/museums/museumofspeed/pages/museumofspeed.aspx

Robin
Title: Re: The Beast of Turin
Post by: comet on April 24, 2015, 05:45:38 AM
Well we were hoping to get to Goodwood for the FOS, but, alas, they have sold out. However, I may just take the old Vinny down for a ride and then have a wander around the car park. I have heard that that in itself is worth a trip. Perhaps we can get there next year instead.
Otherwise I will just have to make do with watching it on the telly, again!

One year. One year I will actually get in to the festival, or maybe the revival meet.