A 117-Year-Old Sports Car Will Be Put Up for Auction (21 photos)

At Sotheby's auction, one of the oldest sports cars in the world will go under the hammer - Itala 120 HP, produced specifically for racing back in 1907 and equipped with a gigantic engine with a volume of more than 15 liters. The auction house notes that only two similar cars have survived to this day, and the example put up for sale is still running. The auction estimate is appropriate - from 2 to 3 million dollars.





The creators of Itala cars at the beginning of the 20th century preferred to make the design of their cars as solid and reliable as possible (one of the Itala cars was able to drive from Beijing to Paris), and they fought the inevitable increase in weight by increasing the working volume of low-speed engines. For example, the example put up for sale has pistons with a stroke of 150 millimeters and a diameter of 175 millimeters.

It is believed that this Itala 120 HP participated in several European races in the first years after assembly, but the history of the car has been documented only since 1916 and has a number of gaps. From 1917 to 1960, the rarity belonged to the same family, and in December 1965 it became part of the collection of the Indianapolis Museum. The museum returned the repeatedly rebuilt car to its roughly original appearance.

It is generally accepted that this is one of only three Italas with large-capacity engines that have survived to this day, and one of two assembled in 1907. Despite the time that has passed and active use at the beginning of the 20th century, the sports car has retained its original engine, four-speed gearbox, chassis and a number of other components. After recent maintenance, the Itala 120 HP can again move independently.





















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