The conservative restoration brings the 1907 Fiat 130 HP back on the track

Abstract

The Fiat 130 HP, from the collection of the Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile of Torino, was the winner (driven by Turinese driver Felice Nazzaro) of the 1907 Grand Prix of the French Automobile Club, which took place on the Dieppe circuit. The car underwent a painstaking conservative and functional restoration from 2019 to 2021: this restoration has been essential for the museum to consolidate a new method, which considers historic cars as works of art and which follows the restoration guidelines of cultural heritage. Interventions were coordinated by MAUTO Restoration Center and carried out by craftsmen specialized in this sector. They included both the mechanics, which required thorough works, including the reconstruction of structural elements of the engine, and the bodywork, whose original color was rediscovered through scientific analyses. Other elements, which had been changed over the years and did not respect the original features of the vehicle, were corrected.