1927 Isotta Fraschini 8A S Fleetwood

Jul 17

Written By Katelyn McSherry

Rudolph Valentino, a worldwide silent film star in the 1920’s, was a massive fan of Isotta Fraschini. Valentino had already owned an Isotta Fraschini Town Car when he ordered this car to be bodied by Fleetwood with a sporting and elegant body paying close attention to all details as it was being built. Unfortunately, due to health complications, he passed away at the young age of 31 before the car was completed. He never saw the car. When completed, it was shown by Isotta Fraschini at the 1926 New York Auto Salon, drawing Valentino fanatics by the thousands with hopes to feel his magic one more time. Still in nearly immaculate shape, this Isotta Fraschini 8A S Fleetwood has remarkably won Best in Class awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance twice, and took Best of Show at the inaugural Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance in 2019.

Named for its founders Cesare Isotta and Vincenzo Fraschini, Societa Milanese Automobili Isotta, Fraschini & C was founded in January, 1900 with the purpose to, “Import, sell, repair cars.” The brands earliest cars resembles the Renaults of the time and used Aster engines. Isotta Fraschini was one of the first companies to market cars with four-wheel brakes, after the technology was brought to light in 1909. With the Roaring Twenties setting in during the 1920’s in North America, Isotta Fraschini marketed deluxe limousines to wealthy clients here in the States such as Clara Bow and, of course, Valentino.

In addition to this Isotta Fraschini roadster, a second Fleetwood-bodied roadster, chassis no. 1400, was built in-period, with very similar styling, and had also eventually claimed the identity of “the Valentino car.” With the goal of definitively determining which car had been commissioned for the silver screen star, numerous period photographs of both automobiles were carefully analyzed.

Furthermore, chassis no. 1400’s long-term second owner, Joseph Gaeta, had been a salesman at Isotta Motors, and knew the history and provenance of his automobile, delivering the car to its first caretaker. His published recollections mention a man in California, but neither Valentino nor Joyce, the latter well documented in period as having been the recipient of “the roadster built for Valentino.” Indeed, and most importantly, Mr. Gaeta never personally applied Valentino’s name to chassis no. 1400 during his half-century of care.