Itala 18/24/50 HP Touring Cars History

When Matteo Ceirano registered Itala Fabbrica Automobili in Turin in November 1903, he brought along five partners and an initial capital of three million lire. The first cars reached customers in 1904: an 18 hp, a 24 hp, and a 50 hp, all four-cylinder machines aimed squarely at the luxury touring segment.

The lineup was competitive enough to make Itala Italy's second-largest producer almost immediately, behind only Fiat. The 24 hp and 50 hp variants shared the same large-displacement, long-stroke architecture that was common to Italian luxury practice of the period, prioritising top speed on the open road over mechanical refinement.

These early tourers were the foundation on which Itala's racing ambitions were built. From the same basic mechanical thinking came progressively larger-engined competition versions, culminating in the machines that won the Coppa Florio, the Targa Florio, and the Peking-to-Paris race within three years of the company's founding.