Matrix 1:43 1954 Fiat 8V Vignale Demon Rouge: Louwman Museum Collection

This rare model comes in acrylic display case

The Fiat 8V Demon Rouge: An extremely unique and distinctive design by Giovanni Michelotti, built by Vignale and based on the famous Fiat 8V. Michelotti demonstrated his creativity and inventiveness with this Démon Rouge (red devil) at the Turin motor show in 1955. The semi-circular, vertical rear window under the extended roofline is one of the most striking details. It was an aerodynamic trick intended to keep the rear window clean and dry during heavy rainfall. Something similar would later be applied to the Ford Anglia and the Citroën Ami. The roof of the Fiat 8V Demon Rouge itself is largely made of Plexiglas, to give the impression of an open car. The door handles are ingeniously incorporated into the rear pillars. The car doesn’t have any bumpers and the headlights are framed by the grille. In 1955 the design won the first prize in the ‘Coppa Campione d’Italia’ Concours d’Elegance. Nearly fifty years later, in 2004, the Fiat 8V Demon Rouge won the ‘Best of Show’ prize at the Concours d’Elegance at palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn, the most prestigious motorcar event in the Netherlands. The Fiat 8V – ‘Otto Vu’ in Italian – is the only eight-cylinder built by Fiat. The sports car was launched in 1952 in order to participate in the Mille Miglia. It was very expensive: in America it cost $ 6,000, almost twice as much as a Jaguar XK120. Exactly 114 8V’s were built, some with special Zagato, Ghia and Vignale coachwork.