Isotta Fraschini () 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.
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.
[Nicholson, p. 19]
The first automobile bearing this marque featured a four-cylinder engine with an output of . The car, driven by Vincenzo Fraschini, appeared in several races. In 1905, Isotta Fraschini gained notoriety in the Coppa Florio, where they entered a Tipo D with a engine. For a short time in 1907, Isotta Fraschini merged with French automobile company Lorraine-Dietrich. The firm started making race cars using this same engine, establishing the company's reputation and giving its name considerable cachet. It was also one of the first companies to successfully market cars with four-wheel brakes, following their invention by Arrol-Johnston of Scotland in 1909.[Georgano, G. N. Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)] They were also among the early pioneers of overhead cam (OHC), with an engine designed by Giustino Cattaneo.[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).] Isotta Fraschini introduced their Tipo 8, the first production automobile to be powered by a straight-eight engine, at the Paris Salon in 1919
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 Clara Bow and Rudolph Valentino drove Isotta Fraschinis. A 1929 Tipo 8A Castagna Transformable is featured in the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard
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.
Today
The marque was revived in 2022, and a new car was designed from scratch to compete in sports car racing, initially including the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, under ACO Hypercar rules.
The car, eventually named the Tipo 6 LMH-C, was designed by (a long-standing
Ferrari motorsport partner) with aerodynamic input from Williams Advanced Engineering.
World Endurance Championship
Isotta Fraschini had initially planned for a 2023 debut of the Tipo 6 LMH-C in the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Spa, partnering with the British team
Vector Sport.
This debut was pushed back first to the 8 Hours of Bahrain due the car's production running behind schedule,
eventually debuting at the 2024 Qatar 1812 km,
being run by
Duqueine Team, as Vector Sport had dropped out due to alleged contract breaches by Isotta Fraschini, who in turn cited "economic factors" for the split.
at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps during the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship]]
The Tipo 6 LMH Pista was presented at Paul Ricard, and completed laps with the GT1 Sports Club session as part of the 1000 km of Paul Ricard weekend.
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 would not be racing at the Bahrain weekend.
In its inaugural season in the World Endurance Championship, the car was driven by Carl Bennett, Antonio Serravalle, and 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans Pro-Am winner Jean-Karl Vernay.
The brand competed in five races, and finished only three, before withdrawing from the 2024 World Endurance Championship season prior to the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans due to disputes with Duqueine Team. Its highest finish was at Le Mans, placing fourteenth, and scored no points during the season.
Active economic entities
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Intrepida Fides, The Isotta Fraschini Foundation, acronym coined by Gabriele D'Annunzio, with registered office in Milan
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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
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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.
Aero-engines
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Isotta Fraschini L.170
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Isotta Fraschini L.180 I.R.C.C.15/40 inverted W-18
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Isotta Fraschini L.180 I.R.C.C.45 inverted W-18
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 80
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 80 R.I.
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 120 R.C.40
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 200
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 250 probably misidentification or variant of Asso 200
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 500
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 500 AQ
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 750
[ (140x170=47105cc/2875cuin)
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 750 R
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 750 R.C.
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 750 R.C.35
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Isotta Fraschini Asso IX
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Isotta Fraschini Asso IX R.C.45
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Isotta Fraschini Asso 1000
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Isotta Fraschini Asso Caccia
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Isotta Fraschini Asso XI
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Isotta Fraschini A.120 R.C.40 – (inverted version of Asso XI)
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Isotta Fraschini L.121 R.C.40 – (version of Asso XI)
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Isotta Fraschini Asso (racing)
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Isotta Fraschini Beta
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Isotta Fraschini Beta R.C.10
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Isotta Fraschini Gamma
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Isotta Fraschini Gamma R.C.15I
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Isotta Fraschini Gamma R.C.35IS
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Isotta Fraschini Delta
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Isotta Fraschini Zeta
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Isotta Fraschini Zeta R.C.25/60
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Isotta Fraschini Zeta R.C.35
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Isotta Fraschini Zeta R.C.42
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Isotta Fraschini Astro 7
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Isotta Fraschini Astro 7 C.21
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Isotta Fraschini Astro 7 C.40
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Isotta Fraschini Astro 14
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Isotta Fraschini Astro 14 C.40
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Isotta Fraschini Astro 14 R.C.40
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Isotta Fraschini V.4
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Isotta Fraschini V.5
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Isotta Fraschini V.6
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Isotta Fraschini 245hp
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Isotta Fraschini K.14 – licence built Gnome-Rhône Mistral Major
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Isotta Fraschini 80 R
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Isotta Fraschini 80 T
Vehicles
Passenger cars
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Runabout 1901–1902
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Tipo FENC 1908
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Tipo KM 1910–1914
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Tipo IM 1913
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Tipo 8 1919–1924
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Tipo 8A 1924–1931
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Tipo 8B 1931–1935
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Tipo 8C Monterosa 1948–1949
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T8 1996
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T12 1998
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Tipo 6 LMH Pista 2024
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Tipo 6 LMH Strada 2024
Racing cars
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Tipo D 1905
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Tipo FE 1908
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Tipo 6 LMH-C 2024
Trucks/buses
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D80 1934–1955
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D65 1940–1955
Trolleybuses
Vincenzo Trucco Targa Florio.jpg |Vincenzo Trucco won the 1908 Targa Florio with Isotta Fraschini type I.
Isotta-Fraschini AN 2030.jpg|AN 20/30 (1909)
Isotta-Fraschini Tipo KM4.jpg|KM4 Tourer (1913)
Isotta Fraschini D80 & D65.jpg|D80 (left) and D65 (right)
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 Sala Phaeton.jpg|Tipo 8 Cesare Sala Phaeton
Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A S LeBaron Boattail Roadster.jpg|Tipo 8A S LeBaron Boattail Roadster (1928)
Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A Castagna Landaulet.jpg|Tipo 8A Castagna Imperial Landaulet (1928)
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8C Monterosa Boneschi (cropped).jpg|Tipo 8C Monterosa Boneschi Cabriolet Prototype (1948)
See also
Further reading
External links
