Edwardian Thunder

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Somewhere in the Peak District, bursting forth from the mist and drizzle, a red chariot minus horses thunders across the land, bellowing and breathing smoke. In 1910, a superstitious local would have sworn blind the apparition was Lucifer himself, and that stretch of road would have forever assumed the moniker of the Devil’s Carriageway, but there’s fascination enough in the Fiat S61 without any need for fantasy.

Chassis 9124 was one of three built for the 1910 American Grand Prize, in which it would excite the crowds in a fierce duel with David Bruce-Brown’s Blitzen Benz. Driven by the celebrated Ralph de Palma, the 10-litre, sohc monster would lead the race until coolant loss forced its retirement, but Bruce-Brown was impressed enough to buy an S61 for himself.

After having victory snatched from it, 9124 was bought by wealthy lawyer Eugene Hewlett and driven to podium finishes at the 1911 and 1912 Indianapolis 500s, but its history changed course once Hewlett’s dubious financial ethics caught up with him. After retiring from racing in 1922, 9124 would be rediscovered in 1940 and end up hidden in a museum basement before being revived by its current owner.

Mick Walsh reveals the full story of this Italian-American legend in the March issue of The Automobile, on sale now.

Words by Zack Stiling. Photographs by Tony Baker.

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