Stefan Marjoram is creating a documentary of the restoration of the legendary 1911 Fiat S76, which has the distinction of arguably having the largest automobile engine in history: 1729 cubic inches, or 28.5 Liters, from four cylinders, no less. It will be released in February 2015, but here’s a trailer, which culminates in a fiery and thunderous finale.
Built in 1911 to take the world’s fastest car title from the 21 liter “Blitzen Benz”, the Fiat S76 had a four cylinder engine with a bore of 7 1/2″ and stroke of 9 27/32″, for a total displacement of 1729 cubic inches. Thanks to an advanced cylinder head with overhead cam and four valves per cylinder, output was 300 hp at a thunderous 1800 rpm, enough to do the trick: 187 kmh (116 mph), a certified run at Saltburn, UK. A later run on the sandy flats of Ostende yielded 137 mph, but did not make the record books for lack of a return run. Contrary to popular myth, it was not an “airship engine”, although a later Fiat airship engine did use the same bore and stroke. Last but not least: Torque was rated at 2000 lb/ft.