The Beast of Turin Talk presented by Duncan Pittaway.

Originally conceived in 1911, the FIAT S76, better known as the Beast of Turin, is one of the most outrageous cars ever built. Its colossal inline-four engine displaced 28.4 litres and produced 300 hp at just 1000 rpm. The chassis featured a rigid axle suspension system with leaf springs. Brakes were only installed on the rear axle.
Only two were built, and Fiat sold the second Beast to a wealthy Russian Prince named Boris Soukhanov, who hired racing driver Pietro Bordino to drive it at Brooklands and attempt to break the land speed record. But when Bordino took it onto the track, it was so terrifying that he refused to go over 90 mph.
After many changes of ownership, the Beast was acquired by Duncan Pittaway in 2003, and a lengthy restoration process began. Duncan discovered that the original engine from the first S76 had survived and managed to acquire it. After several years of hard work that saw the double chain-drive gearbox, body, and many other components being rebuilt using the original Fiat drawings, the Beast of Turin was brought back to life.
We are delighted that Duncan agreed to bring the Beast back to Brooklands and to tell the story of this extraordinary 112 year old motor car.
BMtv is part of Brooklands Museum www.brooklandsmuseum.com

[@paulscountrygarage9180]

That was, without doubt, the best talk I have ever heard. I could listen to Duncan talking all day. Fantastic!!!!!

[@wetlandweasel]

Duncan Pittaway, the only man I know who wears a shirt and tie while getting his hands greasy when working on The Beast!

[@maxstarbuck4594]

But he does roll his sleeves up properly!

[@wetlandweasel]

@@maxstarbuck4594 😂😂🤣🤣😄😄

[@boldorboy08]

What a treasure this guys is. So humble, and a brain-full of engineering know-how. How luck is the car community to have someone with his passion. Oh, and that car is incredible too! Thank you for sharing 👍

[@eurotoura]

Duncan. You just epitomise what being an eccentric British engineer is, this makes you proud to be British and thank goodness you and those like you exist. “ I could listen to you to you forever (Fred Dibner being a close second) showing how passionate you are and I really doubt the Beast would exist today had you not taken on the challenge. 👍🙈

[@jeremyrigden9200]

So true having seen the Beast several times over the years, thank you, Duncan.

[@PincoPallino-wg5rq]

Thank you mr. Duncan, mi commuove l'amore che Lei mette nel trattare la storis della "Belva di Torino" e la stessa auto che "accudisce"come un figlio.. Mi emoziona e qualche lacrima cade nel vedere le foto d'epoca con quei volti, quelle persone che vi appaiono e mi domando e chiedo dove sono ora? Vorrei vederle, toccare tutte, chiedere loro delle loro emozioni, dei loro pensieri, della loro partecipazione. Vorrei che allora fosse ora che tutto potesse avere un nuovo inizio. Non è possibile. Non si può. Questo nostro mondo ci permette solo di guardare avanti e di sognare indietro. Grazie mr. Duncan, la sua passione, l'entusiamo l''avere ridato nuova vita a quest'auto è già per me vivere quel sogno. Nelle sue uscite, che auguro siano infinite, porti con sé, trovi un po' di posto anche per il mio spirito. La guarderò sempre con profonde emozioni. Sono italiano , la Patria di quei geniacci che resero possibile guardare questo sogno. Grazie

[@davidliepelt6409]

Duncan is my hero! His determination and craftsmanship and driving prowess and outlook on life fascinate me. I too live my life in and working on century old cars. I hope one day I will get to meet him.

[@thamesmud]

I will forever think of the cars first private owner as Prince Buggeroff.

[@michaeledwards427]

Brilliant video, one of the best I've seen on KZbin for a long time. I know the Banbury to Oxford road incredibly well, having grown up and worked in and around Banbury for the last 52 years, after my parents moved there when i was 4. The Oxford road, as its known in Banbury must've been no more than a dirt track when The Beast drove along it. In fact i can imagine The Beast coming into Banbury back in the day and turning left at the cross roads by the 3 Pigeons pub and heading north up the Warwick road. In fact they could have stopped at the 3 Pigeons for a pint. My close shave with the Oxford road is a far bit slower. I was doing about 90 mph in a 60 mph limit in my Ford Sierra i had back then, and i blew past a junction just as a certain red Rover 827i pulled up. Shit coppers!! They followed me all the way home!!!! Very important lesson learnt, as i could have lost my licence, learn by experience as they say!! Now I'd think teararsing bastard!!!

[@NSG27]

What a great talk. Duncan is a true raconteur and an incredible engineer with a fantastic sense of humour. Always spares me time to chat every year at The Goodwood Festival of Speed. A thoroughly great bloke, cheers Duncan!

[@lanmastersassistant659]

absolutely wonderful talk, I've listened to it multiple times now.

[@turboslag]

Very amusing and utterly fascinating, I was spellbound for the whole video! I absolutely love the S76 and fortunately I have seen it once at the Chateau Impney event some years ago, the thing is incredible. Couple of questions, is Duncan going to write a book about the whole thing, if he isn't he should, and have Fiat reacted to this at all?! Don't under estimate your achievement here Duncan, you have delighted many people with this project.

[@ОлегГ]

The plan with speeding fines is good. I watched the entire lecture with pleasure and was left with a feeling of unsaidness, because the FIAT S76 car was built for a speed record, which for some reason was never set.

[@djgtuk2012]

Magnificent talk and fantastic to see the car running so well at 81MM last weekend. Didn't do too badly in the type 35 race either!! 😎🙌

[@boballen9836]

Absolutely brilliant! Duncan is a truly great bloke in both deeds and words, and a pretty damn good driver to boot - brave as they come, or just plain mad! FIAT S76 on the road aside, anybody who drives a Bill Thomas Cheetah must be. I just love his infectious enthusiasm and his sense of humour, and that he always wears a tie even when he's working in the shop! I just wish I'd been there on the night.

[@petermooney2016]

Superb, thank you for sharing. You could listen to that for hours on end.

[@mikeashbaugh7773]

Absolutely brilliant!!!!!! Thank you so much for the history

[@francoisdavel6567]

What an amazing talk, he is so knowledgeable on so many subjects.

[@bevanwilson5642]

What a great story, I enjoyed it very much

[@gchampi2]

Duncan Pittaway - certified crazy, but in the best possible way...

[@Series3V8]

Brilliant talk Duncan. If you want to do a for Vmax why not take it to Bonneville for Speed Week? They would love it, proper hot rodding

[@malcolmmoy]

What an absolute delight.

[@albertoarcudi8431]

Grazie Duncan!

[@nickjonckheere9951]

Enjoyed this a lot, excellent namedropping ! Brilliant !

[@Trevorpartington-yc6ri]

Great presentation by Duncan, you live the liffe I would have picked for myself if I had the choice and money :D God bless you for saving tthese cars. I'm actually a bike guy and don't like cars but I love engines, but hats off to you Sir for keeping tthese things running .

[@johnlandamore387]

A superb piece.

[@anthonydexter262]

Loving this video, absolutely fabulous 👍

[@user-ju3jt4pe3s]

What a great story and restoration. Is the delay between you turning the crank and it firing because of the length of the stroke?

[@anthonystevens403]

very beautiful work guys, my first car was a flat, very funny

[@jensenhealey907efi]

I am confused as to why he felt he had to apologize for saying such gentile cuss works such as "ass" or "crap". I have watched various british TV shows like QI or Would I Lie To You or Taskmaster and the attitude on those shows seems to be WAY more relaxed about much worse cuss words when compared to the way tv shows in the USA are. Can anyone explain this?

[@eddyd8745]

He's a polite posh guy. Probably cusses as much as anyone off camera but we all make excuses when talking in public, excuse my French etc.

[@flatbrokefrank6482]

I always thought Reys speeder was based on the Fiat!

[@paulboyle6857]

Beast is the operative word! Did you all notice Duncan,s hands;wonder if they,re ever clean?!

[@johnhancock4236]

Excellent !

[@matthewridgeway9250]

Bring it to Australia for a spped trial in the desert!

[@cliveturner4788]

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@blacksquirrel4008]

What a character!

[@JP-su8bp]

47:44 Initial Engine Start

[@matthewridgeway9250]

You need a tow hitch and a tanker trailer I think.

[@nickmail7604]

Is there any truth that you have put the engine loaned to you by the university of Turin into your car and when you were supposed to return the loaned engine you sent back a non working replica?

[@cedhome7945]

I have the dubious distinction of asking the stupidest question this guy has ever had (not telling you have to ask him ) but I hold no grudge as any rich dude who restores stuff like this gets a pass !

[@boataxe4605]

You’ll notice that it has two seats, one is for the driver and the other is for the original Fix It again Tony.

[@philhuggett4776]

What an absolutely engaging, passionate and funny man. What a guy! I genuinely hope he pulls off the 'Ostend job'

[@chrismoller01]

Haha.... Duncan !!!! I was in hysterics from beginning to end... Brilliant, just bloody brilliant, as fun to watch as the wonderful run that you all did together through France. Lots of lovely interesting nuggets, Fiat history etc... the car is extraordinary, well done! .... but it's you who is the gem ! great story and wonderful to finally get a deeper insight into how it all came about.

[@originalforgery]

What a fantastic guy - outstanding...... The foundation that English engineers were once built on. A slightly more up to date Fred Dibnah....

[@MisterZumbi]

I love how he has dirty hands :D...

[@asciimation]

That was great, thank you for sharing it to a wider audience. I totally get the obsessing over details and playing 'spot the difference' when trying to see what's original and what isn't. And I did the same trick overlaying pictures of other cars over mine when trying to get the body shape just right for my replica Brooklands car. It's close, but not perfect. What I have learned is no two originals are the same and a lot of the originals are no longer what came from the factory. Finding out what they were like in period is very tricky as there are very few period pictures showing the details you need. I have never seen a clear, period picture of the instrument panel for example. I can appreciate the effort it took to get The Beast as correct as possible.

[@richardfalconer1959]

Brilliant! Wonderful delivery. Makes all other car pundits look like amateurs.

[@eddyd8745]

Fantastic talk, thanks very much.

[@haroldpeperkamp2030]

What a story, I thoroughly enjoyed Duncans telling of it. Lovely how he understatedly, as only the English can, produced that spring and called it a valve spring. I have seen parts like that before but those went into a Deutz diesel engine for a pretty large boat😊

[@charlesflouvat1829]

How about getting Guy Martin to drive your car?🎉

[@jamesdeath3477]

That was outstanding. What a great guy.

[@spankflaps1365]

Another speed record that wasn’t, was GWR loco “City of Truro”, which did 100mph in 1904. But it wasn’t running the Dynometer car, so it was not officially recognised. Henry Ford had the land speed record in 1904 at 91mph. Sorry to mix cars and trains, but chuffers were in the same ball park in the 1900s.