Isotta Fraschini

Original firm

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.

The first automobile bearing the Isotta Fraschini marque featured a four-cylinder engine producing 24 horsepower (18 kW). The car, driven by Vincenzo Fraschini, appeared in several races. In 1905, Isotta Fraschini gained notoriety at the Coppa Florio, where they entered a Tipo D with a 17.2-litre (1,050 cu in) engine producing 100 horsepower (75 kW). For a short time in 1907, Isotta Fraschini merged with the French automobile company Lorraine-Dietrich. The firm started making race cars using the engine, helping establish the company's reputation. 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. In 1911, 300 automobiles were produced, and in 1912, 475 vehicles were produced. They were also among the earliest pioneers of the overhead cam with an engine designed by Giustino Cattaneo. Isotta Fraschini introduced their Tipo 8, the first production automobile to be powered by a straight-eight engine, at the Paris Salon in 1919 and began delivering them to customers in 1920.

With the growth of the wealthy middle class in North America in the 1920s, Isotta Fraschini marketed ultra-luxury deluxe limousines to the new American aristocracy. Early film stars, such as Clara Bow and Rudolph Valentino, drove Isotta Fraschinis. The brand also became prominent in literature and media, with various Isotta Fraschini models making numerous appearances in novels and movies including Tender is the Night (1933), Farewell, My Lovely (1940), Death Takes a Holiday (1934), Murder, My Sweet (1944), Without Reservations (1946), and Sunset Boulevard (1950).

In the 1930s, Isotta Fraschini struggled to maintain vehicle production, becoming affected by the Great Depression and the effects of World War II. The company's last model, the Tipo 8C Monterosa, was reported to have had a production total between three to six cars. Isotta Fraschini was able to continue their production of aircraft engines, however they later ceased production, and the original firm entered liquidation in 1949.

Revival of the automobile brand

In the late 1990s, Italian entrepreneur Giuliano Malvino attempted to revive the Isotta Fraschini marque in the car industry. Two concept cars were developed under Malvino's new firm, the Isotta Fraschini T8 and T12, designed by American designer Tom Tjaarda. Neither car made it out of the prototype phase, and Malvino's firm fell into bankruptcy in 1999.

Three decades after Malvino's efforts to resurrect the Isotta Fraschini name in the car industry, a second attempt was made and later fully established in 2022 as Isotta Fraschini Milano Fabbrica Automobili s.r.l. in Milan, Italy, led by former rally drivers Alessandro Fassina and Enzo Panacci, former Lotus executive Claudio Berro, and Michelotto Engineering founder and engineer Giuliano Michelotto. The new group confirmed plans to enter a Le Mans Hypercar into the FIA World Endurance Championship, and numerous technical partners would be confirmed as being a part of the project, including Michelotto's company Michelotto Engineering, Williams Advanced Engineering, HWA Team, ARS Technologies, and Xtrac Limited. The Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH Competizione was unveiled in March 2023, and was set to be raced in the series by Vector Sport, however, they were later replaced by Duqueine Team, as the former dropped out due to alleged contract breaches by Isotta Fraschini, who in turn cited "economic factors" for the split. Originally set to race in 2023, its debut was pushed back to 2024. A track day version of the car, 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.

Carl Bennett, Antonio Serravalle, and 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans Pro-Am winner Jean-Karl Vernay completed the lineup. The brand competed in five races in its only season in the FIA World Endurance Championship, finishing three before withdrawing from the series prior to the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans due to internal disputes with Duqueine. Its highest finish was at Le Mans, placing fourteenth, and scored no points during the season. Two years later, Isotta Fraschini entered a partnership with High Class Racing, with the aim of entering the car in the 2026–27 Asian Le Mans Series and a potential return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Industrial engine manufacturing

Following the original firm's liquidation in 1949, the company name remained on the registry, and in 1955, it was revived, merging with engine manufacturer Breda Motori and subsequently named F.A. Isotta Fraschini e Motori Breda. The company resumed production of trolley buses and built a new diesel engine factory in Bari, Italy in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the company was renamed Isotta Fraschini Motori S.p.A. and became part of the Fincantieri group, with its administrative headquarters in Bari. The company continues to develop industrial engines, and has recently become involved in fuel cell development and testing.

Passenger cars

Runabout 1901–1902

Tipo FENC 1908

Tipo KM 1910–1914

Tipo IM 1913