Siata 208S History

The 208S sits at the apex of Siata's output. Its aluminium body was penned by Giovanni Michelotti and built by Rocco Motto, with two earlier prototypes designed by Bertone. Power came from Fiat's all-alloy Tipo 104 70-degree 2.0-litre V8 — the same unit used in the Fiat 8V — tuned by Siata to produce 125 hp. Road & Track tested the car and recorded 0–60 mph in 12.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 17.8 seconds, with a top speed around 200 km/h (124 mph).

Only 35 examples of the production 208S were built between 1953 and 1955, priced at around $5,300 in the United States. The car's US importer was Los Angeles-based Ernie McAfee, who sold chassis BS523 to a young Steve McQueen in the mid-1950s. McQueen reportedly had the car rebadged with Ferrari emblems and called it his 'Little Ferrari' — a story that cemented the 208S's place in automotive legend and dramatically increased the desirability (and value) of surviving examples.

A 208 CS coupé variant was also produced from 1952, sharing mechanicals with the open 208S. Survivors of either variant are museum-grade collector cars; a 1953 208S roadster offered by Bonhams at the 2023 Scottsdale auction was estimated at $1.5–1.8 million.