“The Jabberwock came whistling through the tulgey-wood with flaming eyes, and rippling as he came!” Lewis Carroll may have written about a monstrous behemoth of an enemy who wheeled and gambled in the wabe, but every time my thoughts wander to the incredible Beast of Turin, the stanzas of Jabberwocky come together. Although perhaps the Beast of Turin should be considered the opposite of Jabberwock or Jub Jub. I don’t want to kill him with my vorpal sword; I’d rather gallop and ride it into battle. This is more than a car, it’s a mythical creature.
According to the current caretaker of this early 20th century demon of engineering, the Beast of Turin was so named because as it passed through small towns, pedestrians would stop to look at it and the fire-breathing exhaust vents would blow their hats off their heads, reportedly burning the hairs on their heads. A wandering dragon of a car that scares old ladies and young children alike. How wonderful that must have been. This Fiat S76 is an amazing car in 2026, I can only imagine what it must have been like to witness it in the silence and tranquility of 1910.
The Beast will likely go down in the annals of history as one of the most exciting and incredible vintage racing cars ever built. With a 28.4-liter four-cylinder engine, each cylinder of the Beast displaces slightly more than the legendary LS7 of the C6 generation Corvette Z06. However, being from the early 20th century, he wasn’t exactly that efficient at utilizing his power, only pushing 300 ponies out of that giant fire pump. Regardless, it’s still incredibly fast in a straight line.
What’s so great about the Beast?
How would this car perform on modern public roads? From where I sit, I’m probably fine. The Fiat is fast enough to keep up with modern traffic and can reach over 100 miles per hour without putting in much effort. However, it is certainly lacking in terms of braking safety, as there is only one manual brake on the rear axle. Even in competition at Goodwood, it’s easy to see that this thing absolutely drives down the straights, but it has to slow down significantly before each corner to get around it safely. That’s all well and good in a controlled environment, but a panic stop of any Peugeot in front of you could end up with some bent sheet metal and a few broken bones.
What is life without a little risk? Are you really going to pass up the opportunity to road trip the Beast of Turin because it might end up in the hospital? Oh well, broken bones are memories too.
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