Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A Van Rijswijk Dual-cowl Phaeton

Coachbuilder Van Rijswijk from The Hague, who as early as 1911 had already fitted one of Queen Wilhelminas Spykers with a body, received the commission in 1925 to build a body for this Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A.

Coachbuilder Van Rijswijk from The Hague, who as early as 1911 had already fitted one of Queen Wilhelmina's Spykers with a body, receives the commission in 1925 to build a body for this Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A. It is a restrained dual-cowl phaeton; the rear passengers in effect have their own enclosed compartment with a (removable) windscreen. Note the beautiful wooden upper deck, the section above the rear doors of which can be folded up to allow the passengers to get in. Cesare Isotta and Vincenzo Fraschini started assembling Renaults in 1900. After the First World War, Isotta-Fraschini focused solely on the very top of the market, spurred on by the growing demand from America for luxury automobiles. The Tipo 8, designed by the brilliant engineer Giustino Cattaneo, was initially the only model available. In 1924 the larger Tipo 8A appeared, with a 7.4-litre eight-cylinder engine producing 120 hp, followed in 1931 by the 8B with 150 hp. The economic crisis, however, brought car production to a halt, and Isotta-Fraschini concentrated on building train and ship engines, which the company continues to do to this day. The famous actor Rudolph Valentino owned an Isotta-Fraschini.