The Beast Of Turin Is More Wild Animal Than Car
"The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came!" Lewis Carroll may have been writing about a monstrous behemoth of a foe that did gyre and gimble in the wabe, but every time my thoughts drift to the incredible Beast of Turin, the stanzas of Jabberwocky come in tandem. Though the Beast of Turin should perhaps be considered the opposite of Jabberwock or Jub Jub. I don't want to slay it with my vorpal sword, I'd prefer to go galumphing, riding it into battle. This is more than a car, it is a mythical creature.
According to the current caretaker of this early-1900s demon of engineering, the Beast of Turin was so named because as it ripped through small towns the pedestrians would stop to look at it and the fire-breathing exhaust holes would blow their hats right off their heads, allegedly while burning the hairs on their heads. A roving dragon of a car, scaring old ladies and young children alike. How marvelous that must have been. This Fiat S76 is an astonishing car in 2026, I can only imagine what it must have been like to witness in the quiet and calm of 1910.
The Beast will likely go down in the annals of history as among the most exciting and incredible vintage racing cars ever built. With a 28.4-liter four-cylinder engine, each one of the Beast's cylinders displaces a touch more than the C6-generation Corvette Z06's legendary LS7. Being from the early 1900s, however, it wasn't exactly as efficient in making its power, pushing just 300-ish ponies from that giant fire pumper. Regardless, it's still incredibly quick in a straight line.
The owner of the Beast recently took the giant engine on wheels for a road trip through Europe, driving about 1,000 miles over the course of a few days. They claim the car consumed a tank of fuel about every 40 minutes. I doubt we're talking about miles per gallon here, so much as gallons per mile. Let this stand as a reminder to every rich guy with a vintage car they think is too valuable to put miles on, because this gentleman's driving adventure is so much cooler than just sticking a car in an air conditioned vault for fear it might get a scratch. Miles equal memories, ya dingus.
How would this car fare on modern day public roads? From where I'm sitting, it probably does alright. The Fiat is plenty quick enough to keep up with modern traffic, capable of well over 100 miles per hour without breaking much of a sweat. It is certainly lacking in the braking safety department, however, as there is just a single hand-operated brake on the rear axle. Even in competition at Goodwood, it's easy to see this thing absolutely motors down the straights, but it has to slow up significantly before every corner in order to get around it safely. That's all well and good in a controlled environment, but a panic stop from a random Peugeot in front of you might end with some bent sheet metal and a few broken bones.
What's life without a little risk? Are you really going to pass up a chance to road trip The Beast of Turin because it might end in the hospital? Heck, broken bones equal memories, too.
