Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A

Information

1924 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Landaulet by Carrozzeria Sala
According to Isotta historian Angelo Tito Anselmi, in his famous book on the marque, the car was recorded as being sold to Filippo Bolzari of Milan. Further recent research by historian Jonathan Sierakowski has confirmed that Bolzari, owner of the Hotel Metropole et Monopole of Milan, had the car first registered on 29 September 1927 with license plate number MI 11753.

According to copies of its original Italian registration, on 2 July 1936, Mr. Balzari relocated to the popular Italian resort community of San Remo, 60 kilometers from Monte Carlo, and the registration consequently changed to IM 4151 in the administrative commune of Imperia on 18 July 1936. On 21 October 1946, the designation of the car was changed, from private use to rental (what might better be termed livery use) for the Excelsior Bellevue Palace, also owned by Balzari, in San Remo. One can assume that it was used as the hotel’s courtesy automobile, for chauffeuring visiting guests to the casino or fine restaurants. It remained until 16 July 1958, when the car was sold back to the factory, Isotta Fraschini Automobili-Breda of Saronno, for 100,000 Italian lire. Early on in the factory’s ownership of the car, Carrozzeria Riva was commissioned to restore the car to its original splendor.

'As is typical of a modern company, Isotta Fraschini evolved over the course of the 20th century, through several different ownerships and iterations. Isotta Fraschini & Motori Breda SpA of Saronno eventually became Mec-Fin SpA of Rome/Nevio Russo, and finally simply Finmeccanica, an Italian company active in defense, aerospace, and security work, which acquired the Isotta Fraschini name and the car in 1993. Chassis no. 655, a symbol of the company’s heritage that they were thoughtful enough to protect, remained with its original manufacturer, in all of its iterations and through multiple episodes of corporate turmoil, for a remarkable 58 years'.-RM Sothebys